Descendant of Heroes
by Giola
Summary: Many years have passed  since the Kingdom of Tortall's golden years. Rulers have changed, alliances have been forged,wars come and gone. But now, on the brink of the largest war the kingdom has ever seen, one girl can change the outcome. Over 5000 reads!
1. Searching

_Many years have passed since the Kingdom of Tortall's golden years. Rulers have changed, alliances have been forged, and lost, wars come and gone. But now, on the brink of the largest war the kingdom has ever seen, one girl can change the outcome. The threat of the triple alliance looms over her, the weight of a kingdom rests on her shoulders. But for one blessed by the Gods, and a descendant of great heroes, anything is possible._

* * *

The rained poured down on the city of Corus, paying no mind for the poor souls stuck on its streets. One such person, a young girl of about 16 years, was doing her best to find shelter. Running from doorway to doorway, she was rejected from each one, growing more and more disheartened. She had been told one of the many inns of the Lower City would welcome her, but she was yet to find it. With no directions or clues about the inn, she was forced to knock on the door of every single one she saw. However, her only alternative was to remain in the rain, so she soldiered on.

She rounded a corner, the light of yet another inn catching her eye. She hurried forward, sheltering in the doorframe for a moment, shaking water from her already drenched hair. She raised her pale fist, and knocked. The door swung open, letting a chink of light onto the otherwise dark lane.

"I swear on the King's grave, I will not put up with more of ye beggars knocking down my door!" The landlady smacked the boy holding the doorknob over the head. She turned to the girl in the doorway, her temper lowering.

"I'm sorry dear, but we simply can't fit you in. Best be on your way." She turned, pulling the door behind her. The girl, encouraged by a sudden streak of confidence, stepped forward, blocking the doorway.

"Wait! Please, I've been told to find an inn, and to-" She was cut short by the landlady, who turned back to her.

"Lass, I don't need to hear your tales, I have no time for 'em!" She said, finally facing the girl again.

"Please?" The girl pleaded, water dripping off her hair and coat and onto the floor. "He said to find the inn managed by a lady like yourself-" Again, she was cut off.

"He? Who, girl? Who sent you?" The landlady approached her, gripping her wrists tightly. The desperation in her eyes was clear.

"I don't know! He wouldn't give me a name, but he told me to show the landlady this, and I would be admitted." The girl pulled a crumpled package from her one of her oversized coat's pockets.

The land lady, after staring at the package for what felt like many minutes, finally took it.

"You'd best come in." She murmured, ushering the girl inside, shutting the door behind her.


	2. Talk of Magic

The fire burned brightly in the fireplace, chasing the deep chill out of my bones. I stood with my back to it, watching the landlady shut and lock the door, before finally turning and facing me. She signed in a resigned sort of way, allowing her body to fall into a chair wearily before addressing me.

"So, it has started. I knew when he left here that it could only be a matter o'time till someone showed up." She smoothed her apron, sighing again.

"Do ye know why your here?" She asked, looking into my eyes for the first time since the door incident.

"N-no." I replied, "I was just told to find the lady who would accept that package, and would be told whatever else I needed to know then."

She laughed at that.

"Lass, I can't tell ye everythin'. That is best left to them religious types. I can, however, tell ye your heritage."

I looked up at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked, perplexed.

"I mean, that ye come from a long line of strong, independent women, much like yeself, and ye best get acquainted with that fact, or else ye won't deal with the other factor that comes down your line." She paused for dramatic effect.

"Magic." She sat back, watching my reaction.

And what was my reaction? Everyone knew that magic was taboo. It had been for the last 150 years. In the golden age, it had been rife, with many practicing magic, and being revered for it. That was before a great sorcerer released the dreaded Immortals on the world for a second time, thus beginning the Second Immortals War. Since then, a deep distrust in any creature other than humans has spread throughout the land, as well a prosecution of any magic practitioners. To be told that magic was in your bloodline was not a good thing.

I guess that must have shown on my face, because she was quick to jump in.

"Don't worry lass, you won't be punished. I am not one to rat out those who come to me in these troubled times. Besides, my own family is not in the King's graces." She laughed again, but I was no longer listening. Magic, in me? No way. Okay, she said she wouldn't turn me in, but in this age you never know who to trust. She could be a spy, or an informer, or any number of things. She could work for the Triple Alliance, even. And that would be bad.

Just about as bad as being told I was magic. Most people thought it was dying out, I certainly had before tonight. Those families that were magical had long died out, and though the odd child was born with a magical gift, these were become few and far between. True, I had never met my parents, but if what she was saying was true, I came from a magical bloodline. And it would have to be a seriously powerful one to withstand over a century of prosecution. Like I said before, no way.

"Ye don't believe me, do ye?" She asked, standing up.

I didn't say anything, but doubt always shows clearly on my face. She sniggered slightly.

"Ye eyes, lass. Ye have purple eyes. That is a sign. A powerful one, at that."

"Eyes aren't a sign of magic! If they were, there would be no need for the tests, or the trials-" She cut me off before I could finish.

"Just because most people don't know that eyes are a sign, doesn't mean they aren't." She looked at me, defiance clear in her eyes.

"Many of the greatest sorcerers and mages in our land have sported coloured eyes that represent their magic's colour. Yours happens to be a particularly famous and powerful one." She shook her head. "Never in my wildest dreams did I expect me son to find a purple eyed witch. If ye have red hair too, that would be enough to stop me old heart."

I stared at her then. I did have red hair. Not that she could possibly know that, as my hair was covered by my hood, and was completely drenched anyway, so that it looked brown. I don't know why, but I started to believe her then. Maybe it was partly due to the fact that she was right, at least partly about my eyes. They were unusual, and people were afraid of them, at least subconsciously. The link between them and red hair though? That I didn't understand. So, I slowly pushed my hood of my head, shaking my still damp hair loose.

"I do have red hair." I said, looking up at her, standing halfway between our chairs, the firelight flickering in the corner of my eye.

She looked at me then, with a flicker of something in her eyes. I couldn't tell if it was fear, respect or something else. I didn't have longer to ponder that, because she looked into the fire.

"So. It has happened. The cycle starts again, with another Goddess blessed child." She glanced back at me now, but her face was eerily blank. Then she whispered, almost to herself,

"Alanna has come back to save us all."


	3. Roamings, Records and Royalty

I pulled the comb through my hair for the fifth time, staring out at the street below me. The city of Corus was bustling already, with no trace of yesterday's rain in the sky. The sun was shining, and people crowded the streets, selling their wares, going about business or sneakily taking what they could get from passer-by's. Pickpockets were a famous part of Corus culture, and coming from Coas Wood, they were a new sight for me. I had never been to one of the big cities before I came to Corus, and I was quite content in watching the flow of city life, especially when my alternative was going downstairs.

The landlady hadn't said any more to me last night, and had showed me to my room in almost a daze. She had already been down in the kitchen when I woke up, so I was happily avoiding her and the 'magic talk' by staying in my room.

Magic was not a safe topic anywhere in the lands, but especially not in Corus. It was in Corus that the people accused of magic were tried, and more often than not executed, drowned or burned. It was a humiliating death, and it had become almost unheard of. Magic practitioners were supposed to have died out, so why would an old land lady of a small inn in Corus tell me that I came from a powerful magic bloodline? It was simply not possible.

But then, I had always known that I was different from the others in Coas Wood. My parents had died when I was young, so I was brought up by my aunt and uncle. My 3 cousins looked nothing like me, and according to my Aunt, I looked nothing like anyone in my family. She did say that we had some red haired ancestors a few generations back, so my red hair was just passed off as though the gene had skipped a generation or two. My eyes, however, had no explanation. Yet, I'd passed through all the magic tests with no hiccups, so no one had questioned them much. I'd kept to myself, preferring to explore the woods, teaching myself about the plants and animals from the few books available than sit through sermons and learn the art of the loom. I'd taught myself to fight, though I didn't have the strength to compete with the boys in town, so I practiced alone, and secretly.

The main factor that set me apart was my thirst for knowledge. I was never content to sit around like the other girls my age, and wait for someone to ask me for my hand in marriage. That simply wasn't who I was. Because of that, part of me was thrilled to learn that I might be truly different.

So, I decided to go learn more about the magic, mainly, its history in Tortall and the major bloodlines. If I could find out anything at all that might relate to me, I felt it would help. The only problem with my plan for the day was that the only place in Corus that had these kinds of records was the palace, and someone looking up magic would certainly cause suspicion.

I stood at my window, dithering over what to do. I could ask the landlady more questions, but I wanted to avoid her at all costs. I wasn't sure if I could trust her, and something inside me made me feel that the palace was the place I needed to go. Recklessly, I headed downstairs, darting out the door before the landlady could catch me, and headed out of the Lower City, passing the busy Daymarket, and onto Palace Way, making my way up the hill, the palace walls looming over me. Guards were posted at the towers, surveying the crowd. There was a queue at the gates, with more guards. They were letting some people in straight away, but questioned others.

As I worked my way up the queue, I tried to look inconspicuous. I had no idea what I would do if they questioned me, and I was sure that once they saw my eyes I would be in for another round of magic trials. It had happened before, yet it was never pleasant.

When my turn came, the guards passed over me almost like I wasn't there. Staring at the ground, I walked through, following the old man ahead of me. Slowly, I raised my gaze, when it became clear that they weren't going to run after me and question me. I was so relieved; I walked into the entrance hall of the palace with absolutely no thought as do what I would do next. It was only when I was confronted with an endless amount of doors and staircases that I began to realise that I had no idea how to find the records.

Stumped, I sat down on a bench against the wall. I watched a steady stream of people come in and out of the palace for quite a while, before a young man approached me. At that time, the flow of people had ceased, so that we were alone in the hall.

"Are you lost?" he asked, looking down at me curiously.

I stared at him for a moment. He was tall, with thick, dark hair, and strikingly blue eyes. His eyes would have been almost as noticeable as my own. Something about him was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on exactly what it was.

"Uh...I was looking for the records? Or the library?" I couldn't stop staring at him, but it was only when he started to reply that I realised how much of a dolt I must seem.

"The records are in the library, most of them anyway. I can show you, if you like?" He offered me his arm.

I took it, mostly out of shock. He was one of the only people I had ever met who hadn't had any sort of reaction to my eyes. He didn't even seem slightly surprised. Perhaps there were lots of purple-eyed people in the palace? His own eyes were unusually striking, so it was possible.

We ran into very few people on our way to the library, and those that we did see were all servants or pages, who bowed to us as we passed. It seemed odd to me at the time, but I brushed it of as palace custom. The young man was probably a young master who was set to inherit a fortune, or a minister in training. He most likely deserved the respect.

We arrived rather quickly in front of a majestic set of double doors. He threw them open, stepping into the room with his arms wide.

"This is the palace library. Almost anything you could possibly need is here. What is it you were after?" He looked at me expectantly.

I hesitated. The library was quiet and still, and looked empty. Could I trust him to not hand me over to the guards? He seemed nice enough, but magic was a sensitive subject with many.

"I think I'll just look around for a while, I'm not really sure yet what I'm looking for." I lied, looking away from him and pretending to study the shelves.

He shrugged.

"Okay. Nice to meet you." He turned to leave, but the doors were thrown open again. He stepped back in shock, and was quickly surrounded by the two men who had entered.

"Your highness, there you are! We have been looking for you all morning-" The two men quickly escorted him from the room, talking over each other in their haste.

I stared straight ahead, mortified. They called him highness! He was royalty! No wonder he had seemed familiar. Oh no, this was not good. I hadn't expected to meet royalty on my first day in Corus, and I must have looked like a complete dolt not knowing who he was.

After I got over my embarrassment, I found many files on magic, though no recent ones. None of the files had any information on bloodlines, and they all were strongly opposed to magic use. With my head full of new knowledge, I headed back down into the Lower City.


	4. Why Not?

The Lower City, as far as I'd heard, hadn't changed much over time. It was still rife with pickpockets; the same markets still existed, with many of the families still owning stalls. The Court of the Rogue still existed; indeed it had become much more powerful in recent years.

Walking through the crowds, I didn't attract too much attention. There was a time when an unaccompanied girl would have caused a stir, but in the Lower City, no one questioned anything. I was dressed in a simple dress, nothing that made me appear wealthy. In the palace, I would have stood out. Here, I blended in fine.

All around me, people were selling their wares and haggling. I saw a small boy darting through the crowd ahead of me, which prompted me to check by purse (thankfully I was yet to be targeted by the thief network) and move it to a more secure position. I stopped to buy an apple turnover at a stall, surveying the crowd again as I ate.

There were no Provost's Guards around here. The palace had been streaming with their own guards, but Provost's Guards were assigned to the other districts outside the palace walls, as they had been for centuries. I'd seen a fair few as I'd come down Palace Way, but there was a suspicious lack in the Lower City. I didn't know much about Corus, but I was certain the Lower City was the most dangerous place in it. The lack of guards was suspicious, but under the current rule, anything was possible due to the regent's lack of interest. After the King had died more than 3 months ago, his widow and his brother had taken up the regency, as his only child was only 17 years of age. Our country was in turmoil, with no proper ruler, and it wasn't helped by the recent war between Tusaine and Tyra, though now Tyra no longer existed thanks to the brutality of the Tusaine Army. We were on edge, having suffered from poor ruling for more than 40 years, droughts, small attacks at the borders from Tusaine and the everlasting repercussions of the Second Immortals War. Everyone knew it; the incompetency of our rulers wasn't a secret. It was a disgrace.

The other consequence of our decline was clearly visible in the Lower City. Once, it would have been full of Barzuns, Carthaks, women from the Yamani Isles, numerous different cultures. Now it was strictly Tortallans. The reputation of our country had swiftly declined. The golden days were long over.

I was still standing beside the stall when a girl, not much older than me approached, ordered a bun, and came to stand next to me to wait for her order. She smiled at me by way of greeting, but then did a typical double take when she saw my eyes. She stared at them for a moment or two, before her gaping mouth finally produced sound.

"You got purple eyes." She said matter of factly. I looked at her incredulously. Rarely did someone state the obvious fact this, well, bluntly.

"Yes. I do." I replied, slightly awkwardly. Her order appeared, and she replied whilst she turned to claim her bun.

"I got some friends who would like to meet ye, if you're willin'," She said, chewing on her bun. "I've been told to keep on the lookout for one such as yeself." She glanced up and down my body.

I leaned back, slightly self-conscious.

"Sure" I replied. I mean, why not? I had plenty of daylight left in the day, and meeting some people can't do any harm, surely. She led me down a few alleyways, past several places I had yet to visit, before we stopped in front of a series of buildings. The one in front of us looked like a normal boarding house, as did the building on the right. The building on the left, however, was an inn by the name of the 'Dancing Dove'.

The girl knocked on the door, and after a quick exchange with the person behind it, we entered the building in front of us, the girl leading me through the house and down into the basement. The basement itself was massive, bigger than I could have thought possible under a small house. I stared around, and slowly realised that it wasn't just one basement, it was three. The two boarding houses and the inn had combined basements, and access to all three buildings from within it. I'd never seen anything like it, and I was pretty sure it wasn't normal, even for the Lower City.

If that hadn't been enough to convince me of the irregularity of the place I was visiting, the occupants certainly would have been. There were people huddled in groups all throughout the basement, some talking, others playing at cards or dice. At one end was a wooden table, a man with greying hair at its head, and some threatening looking men on either side, armed with swords. The rest of the table was a mixture of women, either pretty and young, or strong and sturdy, and a few younger men. I had little doubt to what I was seeing now. There was only one place that would need this amount of secrecy, or have this amount of people. The Court of the Rogue.

The girl next to me led me up to the table. The man at the head, who I assumed was the Rogue himself, nodded to her.

"Sarasai. You bring a visitor?" He raised one eyebrow in question, the dim light of the basement only deepening the shadow on his chin and the age lines around his eyes.

"I do, yer highness." She lowered her eyes respectfully for a moment, before ploughing ahead. I was getting the impression that she was the type of person who had little regard for manners or decorum.

"Ye told us to look out for a purple-eyed doxie. Well, I found one." She gestured to me, and I unwillingly stepped forward into the dim light illuminated by the candle on the table.

Several of the thieves gasped when they saw my clearly purple eyes, others simply sat in a stunned silence. The Rogue himself leaned back in his chair, examining me.

"Thank you, Sarasai." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. I made to follow her, but one of the 'bodyguards' stood in my way, as his, the Rogue's voice rang out behind me.

"No, not you. You stay."

I turned back around, rather reluctantly.

"You carry a knife." He said it like a statement, not a question, and I wondered if I would be punished by them. Maybe it was a sign of offence?

"Y-Yes I do, your highness." It felt odd calling him 'highness' so soon after my encounter with real royalty.

He nodded to the bodyguard next to me, who quickly took the knife off me, before thoroughly checking to see if I carried anymore weapons.

"You should have been checked as you came in, but Sarasai brought you through the least used entrance, and made sure you're visit here was a priority, which I appreciate. " He inspected his nails for a moment, before looking up at me.

"I have no intention of harming you in any way, or accusing you of anything, magical or not. The presence of someone with distinctive eyes such as yours will always cause a stir in Corus. You, however, have skills we would like to utilise."

I looked down, confused. What skills did I possess? I could read, I could defend myself. Yet many others in the room could do that, probably better than I could. So why did he want me?

"We are offering you the position of a runner for the Court of the Rogue. Delivering messages and such. You will be payed, of course, and trained in our ways." He smiled.

"It is not very often when we offer positions in our Court, they usually have to be earned. However, with respect to our country's current state, exceptions must be made." He paused, and I felt my mouth opening, and the question was out of my mouth before my brain had any say.

"Why me?" I blurted out, covering my mouth with my hand childishly afterwards. He chuckled.

"Lass, you may not realise it, but you are the first person to show up in over 100 years with those eyes. That is significant for many reasons, but I believe you may be touched by the Great Mother Goddess, as many who have borne similar features to yours have been. Of course, I could be wrong, but if you chose to work for us, I will make sure you learn the stories from the golden age, stories that many still tell in secret. Most of Corus is waiting for things to change, and here, we are willing to change them. So, will you join us?" He looked at me expectantly.

Will I join a band of thieves? Will I help them change things, and possibly help in a revolution? They may not have said anything directly, but I got the impression that they would change things forcibly. I also thought they might not be as opposed to magic as most people were, and with than in mind, I made my decision.

"Okay. Sure. I'm in." I smiled at him tentatively. Why not? At least I'd have some sort of income, which I desperately needed. I couldn't stay at the inn on no money for much longer, despite the landlady's interest in me.

He smiled broadly back at me.

"Excellent. Sarasai will see that you get settled in."


	5. Dreaming of Legends

The last week had been extremely busy. Sarasai and I were the only two runners for the Rogue, so we frequently ran messages between the thieves all around Corus. The Rogue kept his promise, and I was now well informed on the legends from 300 years past. The Lioness story was by far my favourite, though Sarasai assures me that much of the story is probably fabrication, that the real details would have been lost over the years. She's probably right, but I see nothing wrong with enjoying a good story.

Sarasai and I were on our way to deliver a message to a man working in the palace stables. I must admit that going back to the palace wasn't thrilling. I doubted that I'd run into the Prince in the stables, but you never knew. I wanted to avoid him at all costs, he must think that I've been knocked in the nob or something of the sort. How embarrassing.

Nevertheless, Sarasai had forced me to come with her. We approached the palace, Sarasai lying through her teeth to get us through the gates. I padded along silently beside her, as we turned towards the stables.

Sarasai delivered the message to the man, whilst I waited around the horse stalls. I'd grown up around horses, my uncle had kept a few. I patted the one closest to me, a chestnut, while waiting for Sarasai to come back.

There I was, murmuring to a horse, when, surprise surprise, the Prince walks in, leading a regal-looking black horse. I looked up at the noise, startled. Our eyes locked, and I blushed, quickly looking at my feet.

He put his horse in its stall, and I stood, mortified, hiding behind mine. I heard his footsteps approaching, but I only came out from behind my horse when he spoke to me. My face was bright red.

"I don't think I properly introduced myself last time we met. I'm Prince Jasson." He held out his hand for me to shake.

I stared at his hand for a few seconds, before tentatively shaking it. Why was he being nice to me? I was no one, evident from the fact that I hadn't recognized him initially.

"Uh...I'm Alenne." I said. I was still looking down, being too embarrassed to look into his face. Besides, I had no idea how to act around royalty. Should I bow?

He made that part easy, at least. He turned, heading out the stable doors.

"Walk with me." He said, holding out his arm. Again, it took me a few moments, but I accompanied him outside, forgetting all about Sarasai.

"So how have you been? Did you find all the records you were looking for?" He seemed truly curious, which confused me. I couldn't believe that he was talking to me, let alone interested in what I did and said. I had thought that all nobles were aloof, too self-important and self-absorbed to talk to common people.

"I found quite a bit actually." I replied, trying to keep my own curiosity well hidden.

"What is it you were looking for? If you don't mind me asking." He smiled down at me. I hesitated slightly, but something inside me was saying that I could trust this blue-eyed prince, no matter what policies his relatives might have imposed on this country. Something inside me was certain that he would be different, though I couldn't say what made me feel that way.

"I was looking for documents on magic, actually." I replied, walking towards the palace slowly. "I have an interest in that area, especially with magical bloodlines -"

He cut in.

"So, naturally, the records here were helpful." He made a sweeping gesture indicating the palace, smiling again. "Though I am intrigued, why would a young lady be interested in magical bloodlines? Almost all of them have died out." He stopped walking, waiting for an answer.

"Ah...well..." I stalled, trying to think of something to say. What could I say? I was interested in magical bloodlines, and I knew that almost all had died out...no, all of them had died out, at least as far as anyone knew.

"Wait, what do you mean, "almost all" of them have died out? I thought they had all become extinct years ago." I stared into his eyes, this time seeking information out of him, instead of the other way around. He hesitated, before a slight smile appeared on his face.

"I only meant that no one really knows, there could be someone out there with a magical gift..." He trailed off, smiling slightly again, though I got the sense that this smile was a fake one, covering his lie. I was almost certain he was lying, it was odd of him to say one thing, then completely contradict it. Besides, I hardly knew him, so how could I possibly trust him? Clearly, I was becoming slightly insane, because telling him that I was interested in mages was not only stupid, it was dangerous.

"Oh, of course you did." I smiled back at him, hoping that my fake smile protected my new-found fear. He smiled again, and we walked on. However, this time I noticed his smile didn't reach his eyes. Something in our conversation had changed both of us, and I was certain that I wasn't the only one acting on edge.

It was then that Sarasai returned.

"Oh there ye are! I wonder'd where ye went to." She rushed up to us, glancing at my companion as she approached. Her eyes widened as she recognized him.

"Al, ye didn't tell me ye knew the Prince!" She gasped. She did a rushed half bow in his direction, causing him to stifle his laughter. I narrowed my eyes at him, the wariness still very much present.

"Come on, Sarasai, we better get back. The Prince was kind enough to accompany me through the grounds, that's all." I turned away, and we left the palace grounds, and the Prince behind. The prickling feeling of wariness, however, stayed with me all the way back to my room at the inn. I had been uncommonly quick to trust the Prince, and then just as fast to distrust him. Granted, what he had said was odd, and it was that that made me feel uncertain. My instincts had told me to trust him, but at the same time I didn't think he was trustworthy. It was enough to make me seriously consider drowning my thoughts downstairs with the tosspots.

However, my common sense kicked in, and I sensibly went to bed, hoping that with sleep, my mind would become clearer.

* * *

Alanna the Lioness paced up and down, infuriated. Again. She glared angrily at Jon, and opened her mouth to throw back a retort when she was interrupted by the arrival of the Great Mother Goddess.

"Goddess." She murmured, bowing slightly. Jon did the same.

"My children, I see you are fighting again. Honestly, after over 3 centuries of this, haven't you exhausted your arguments?" The goddess shook her head exasperatedly. "What was it about this time?"

Both started to answer her at the same time. They glared at each other, before Alanna, thrusting her chin forward, answered.

"The girl, Alenne. Jon thinks she will trust Prince Jasson with time. I, however, know that she is like me, and will never trust him, not fully. He will only betray her." She smirked at Jon, who quickly butted in.

"Says the girl married to a thief." He smiled wickedly. Alanna cried out in frustration, about to retort, but again the Great Mother Goddess stepped in.

"Alanna, Jon. You must stop this. It is trivial now that both Alenne and Jasson are more informed. If we want order restored to the world, we have to handle this carefully. Many have tried to restore the balance of magic, but all have failed. Who knew the work of one sorcerer would have effects that last for over 3 centuries?" The goddess rested a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Go to them both in their dreams. They will trust you there. Give them tokens from yourselves, something that will help them on this journey. Alanna, you remember what I did for you. Now, it is your turn to help the greater good. I trust you will do well." She smiled at them once, before disappearing.

Alanna gritted her teeth.

"I don't see why we have to be the ones to guide these two...these two...children! They have absolutely no idea what they are doing!" She started pacing again.

"Neither did we!" Jon replied, his voice rising in volume to match hers. "Alanna, you won't go against what the Goddess says, I know you. The only reason we were called here was to help, and as legends, we must do that. So, go." With an air of regal command that he always possessed, Jon disappeared, off to the dream of his many times great grandson.

Alanna sighed. As much as she hated it when he ordered her around, she had to agree with him. They had waited far too long to right the world to lose the opportunity now. The Goddess had explained to her that there was only one girl in her line that could save them all. So, they had waited, year in year out. Now that the moment had come, she could not hesitate or doubt. She had to simply do, which had always been her strong point.

* * *

Jasson was dreaming. The bright colours of the landscape around him were too vivid to be real. He wandered for a while, watching his surroundings morph as he walked. It was when his surroundings had taken the form of the castle that the great King Jonathon appeared.

"King Jonathon!" Jasson gasped, almost tripping over in his haste to bow. Jon laughed and helped him up.

"Yes, Jasson, it is I. I have long wanted to meet you, and finally the moment is here." Jon smiled warmly down at him. Jasson gaped at him, blinking in disbelief.

"How did I possibly dream you up?" He looked around him in bewilderment. "I've only ever seen your statue."

Jon laughed at that.

"Sometimes in dreams, anything is possible. I am here for a purpose, Jasson. You are much more than just simply the Prince of Tortall. Your ancestors, my descendants, have made many mistakes. You are the one who, I believe, can rectify them." Jon's eyes darkened, fully focusing on Jasson, who stepped back, feeling for the first time the aura of a legend, of King Jonathon.

"Jasson, you already know that our family is beyond ordinary. We should never have implemented the anti-magic laws, for it made our family into something weak and corruptible, and our country has fallen upon hard times because of it. Jasson, you must bring out the magic in you. We must make the statement to the world that Tortall is no longer anti-magic. You must embrace your true heritage."

Jon opened his palm, revealing a small stone.

"Take this, and carry it with you everywhere you go. It will give you strength, so that you will always know that the gods have not abandoned you, and neither have I."

Jonathon disappeared, and Jasson's eyes flew open. He looked around, bewildered for a moment. It took him a few seconds to realise that he was holding something in his hand. Lifting his hand up to his face, he saw through the darkness that it was the stone King Jonathon had given to him in his dream, glowing slightly in the night, blue light pulsing gently from the stone.

* * *

Alenne looked warily at the small, petite redhead sitting across from her. She was dreaming, she knew that, but it was so realistic!

"Who are you?" She asked warily, keeping her distance from the woman, who looked strangely familiar.

The woman smiled. She stood up, putting both her hands on the table.

"I'm Alanna." She said simply, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. Alenne gasped. Alanna? As in Alanna the Lioness? Why on earth was she dreaming about her?

"I'm dreaming about Alanna the Lioness. Mithros, what has become of me, fixated on a legend?" She looked up at the ceiling, suddenly realising that she was in the inn, the Dancing Dove. The table between her and Alanna was rough wood, with a candle flickering between them. Alanna laughed, listening to her.

"You didn't dream me, Alenne. I'm here because the Goddess has touched you. For some reason, she chose me to tell you this." Alanna continued speaking without pausing to allow Alenne time to speak.

"The Goddess needs you for something big, I'm not sure of the exact details. Something to do with righting the world, restoring the balance...magic had something to do with it. That's not really the point. I'm sure you'll figure out our destiny all by yourself. I, however, can help you discover your magic. Our magic."

Alenne butted in, not caring that she was interrupting the legendary Alanna.

"I'm sorry, did you say our?" She said, completely confused.

"Oh, yes, didn't you know? We're related, that's why you look exactly like me. I thought that land lady would have explained that." Alanna waved her hand, dismissing the issue that to Alenne, was a massive revelation.

"Anyway, I wanted to give you is this." She handed out a gold necklace, with a charm shaped like a lion, with amethyst crystals embedded in it. Alenne's eyes widened. She'd rarely seen anything so expensive, even in dreams.

"This necklace will help you discover who you really are." Alanna turned to go, pausing slightly as she did so, as if contemplating whether she should say anymore.

"Oh, if you happen to see a black cat about, I would take it in. Cats like that have a way of being helpful."

Alenne gasped, her eyes flying open. She had been jolted out of the dream so suddenly, yet she wasn't sure why. She looked down, her heart stopping for a moment when she saw the very same necklace from her dream now around her neck. She lifted it slowly, and saw that the crystals in the charm were glowing slightly purple. A rap on her window startled her out of her musings about the necklace, and she moved to open it. To her amazement, a black cat was sitting on the sill, mewing at her. Deciding that her night couldn't possibly get any weirder, she let the cat in to her room, upon which it promptly curled up right in the middle of her bed. She sighed, and slide back into bed around it, hoping that in the morning she would be able to make some sense of the weird events that had just occurred.


	6. Bloodlines

When I woke up, the cat was still sitting there, looking at me. With its purple eyes. Most people thought it was weird that a human had purple eyes. Well, I have nothing on this cat.

I thought back to my dream, of Alanna the Lioness. I almost didn't think it was real, except the necklace around my neck begged to differ. I still was struggling with the fact that I had been chosen by the Goddess. I was supposed to change Tortall, to help. How?

That's a very good question.

Since arriving in Corus, I'd not only been told I'm magic, I'd also met the crown prince, decided that I may possibly trust him and then also decided that I may possibly not trust him, become a runner for the Court of the Rogue, started learning about magic and legends, dreamt about said legends, and then, to top it all off, discovered that I'm supposed to save the world and inherited a magical, purple eyed cat.

Oh, and I'm apparently descended from the Lioness.

Corus is most definitely an 'interesting' place to be.

Deciding to name the cat 'Blackie' temporarily, I headed downstairs, intending to head to the palace to learn all I could about this 'cat', and the Alanna the Lioness story. The account I'd heard from the Rogue was fanciful, but hardly truthful. Honestly, there was no way that Alanna was afraid of her magic. She lived in the golden age! What did she have to be frightened of?

It's only in these times that mages are prosecuted.

I crept down the rickety stairs, with Blackie padding silently behind me.

"Lass! You're awake!" Comes the call from the fireplace.

Wincing slightly, I turned to face the landlady.

"Ah, I see ye found yeself a pet." She said, stirring a pot on the fireplace as she did so.

I warily stepped forward, Blackie moving with me.

"Yes." I replied, warily, watching her.

She turned around, took one look at Blackie's eyes, and clutched her heart.

"Mithros! It's eyes!" She said, staring at both me and the cat with wide eyes.

"'Tis Faithful all over again." She said, shaking her hand.

"Faithful?" I asked, curious. Did she know something about this cat? That would save me some time in the palace library.

"Ye don't know about Faithful?" She said, staring at me incredulously. "Or Pounce?"

I shook my head, and she sighed.

"That cat ye got there is no ordinary cat. It's a constellation. And a he, if history serves." She said, waving her ladle in the air.

I quickly checked, and sure enough, the cat was male.

"What do you mean, a constellation?" I asked, slowly registering what she'd said.

"That cat comes to those the Goddess favours. Bah, I was right!" She grinned. "Ye are a special one."

I stared at her, bewildered.

"Now, get out of 'ere. I got customers to serve." She said, pushing me towards the door.

Well, that was a first. I'd thought she'd want to draw information out of me, but instead she couldn't wait to send me away.

I wandered out into the Lower City, stopping to grab a bun at a stall in the Daymarket.

"Thought I'd find ye 'ere." Sarasai said, grinning at me from behind her own bun.

"You were waiting for me?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow. I doubted she would just sit in the market, waiting for me.

"Ah, well, I may have helped meself to a few purses." She said, finishing her bun and licking her fingers.

I shook my head. Sarasai was a brilliant pickpocket, and I was glad she was my friend, not my enemy, or I'd be severely lacking in coins.

"Any jobs from the Rogue?" I asked as we weaved our way through the crowd.

"He said come back s'afternoon." She replied.

"Well, I need to go to the palace to read up on a dream I had last night." I said, turning my head to see Blackie still following diligently behind us.

"Dream?" She said, turning to look at me curiously. "I had a dream last nigh' too. 'Parently, I'm the next Rogue." She said, puffing her chest out.

"Who told you that?" I said, scoffing.

"Me dream." She said.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, but who in your dream told you that?" I asked, subtly prying into my friend's dreams.

"Oh, ye'll never believe it, but two ol' Rogues, Master George and Rosto the Piper." She said, grinning at me over her shoulder.

She dreamed of past Rogues? Maybe I wasn't the only one with realistic yet odd dreams last night.

"I dreamed of Alanna the Lioness last night." I interjected. "And, this cat came to me." I added, scooping Blackie up and resting him over my shoulder.

"Cat?" She said, stopping to look at him. "It's got purple eyes!" She screeched, leaping backwards.

I groaned.

"Yes, I know." I replied, putting Blackie back down, as he was squirming in protest.

"Not normal." She said, staring at the cat.

"Nothing about me is normal." I replied, continuing on my way to the palace.

In the end, Sarasai stayed with Blackie outside the palace gates, probably intending to 'help herself' to a few more purses. I entered the palace library alone, my step quickening as I approach the records of old nobles.

There were several books of nobility in Tortall, and I'd seen them displayed on my previous visit to the library. The books of Gold, Silver and Copper, the three most important ones, and the oldest, were displayed on a large table near the back of the library, chained to the surface.

I approached the Book of Gold, my fingers running over the gold cover, before I flipped it open and started searching for my apparent noble ancestors.

Eventually, I found the Trebond line, with Alanna and Thom of Trebond. I spent the next few hours tracing Alanna's descendants, tracing the line to a century ago, when the last descendant, Myles and his wife Ariadne, had been burned at the stake under the accusation of being mages.

I stopped reading there. I did not need a detailed account of a mage's burning.

Sighing, I surveyed the books around me. It seemed that the Lioness' line had died out just over a century ago. I fingered my necklace; how was it possible?

Unless Myles and Ariadne had had a child, there was no possibility...

I opened the book again, flicking through to the mention of the two mages. After the account of their deaths, a small mention was made to a child, a son by the name of Liam, who was never found after his parents' deaths, and assumed dead.

It was a slim chance, but if Liam had survived, and lived under another name, it could be true.

If it was true, then I was a descendant of the Lioness, I had received a Goddess blessed necklace, a cat that was really a constellation, was the true heiress of Trebond, Olau and Pirate's Swoop, was a Book of Gold noble, and was destined to restore magic to the world.

After putting it like that, there was no way that was possible.

Firstly, I'd grown up in Coas Wood. My family were not wealthy, or noble. Granted, I had never known my parents. My Aunt and Uncle, from my mother's side, knew little about my father's heritage, and they assumed my looks came from his side of the family.

As far as I knew, I had no relative's from my father's side, so no one to ask for information.

I closed my eyes, wishing there was some way I could know for sure. One of my hands was still clutching my necklace, and I jumped when it heated up. I looked down, and it was glowing, a steady purple.

My eyes widening, I quickly shut the book, jumping up, having no idea how to stop my necklace from glowing.

"Alenne?"

I turned, and met the eyes of Prince Jasson, my eyes widening. His did too, as he took in the glowing necklace on my chest. Gasping, I quickly grabbed it and tried to hide it, but the damage was done.

"Please! I didn't make it glow! It just happened!" I said, hastily stuffing the now dull necklace under my shirt.

"I won't arrest you." He replied, taking a step closer to me.

"Can I see the necklace?" He asked, now only a few steps in front of me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, still stuck in an inner battle over whether or not to trust him. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed.

"You have no reason to trust me. I don't hold it against you. Here." He held out his hand to me, and I leant forward despite myself.

Slowly he unfurled his hand to reveal small stone, which, as soon as my gaze rested on it, started to glow blue.

It was eerily similar to my necklace, though with a different colour.

Almost in a daze, I drew my necklace out, slipping it over my head, holding it on my open palm, next to his own. The two objects pulsed steadily, one blue and one purple, a clear sign of magic.

I looked upwards, my eyes meeting his, and I was sure that the look of utter terror in his matched mine.

"I had a dream last night." I blurted out. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I needed to tell him this.

Which was ridiculous, really, since he was a prince, and I was nobody.

Well, at least I was nobody before I came to Corus, anyway.

"Alanna the Lioness came to me, and gave me this necklace. I don't know how that's possible, since it was a dream-" I started, but he cut me off.

"I had the same." He said, his eyes boring into my own.

"Well, actually it was King Jonathon who visited me, and gave me this stone." His eyes flicked downwards, to the stone in question.

"How is this possible?" He mumbled, so softly that I barely heard it.

"I-I don't know." I said, my palm, necklace and arm all shaking slightly.

"You...I thought I recognized you. I understand now, you look like her." He said, his eyes still on the stone.

"Like who?" I asked, curious.

"The Lioness." He sighed, his eyes meeting mine, finally. "And I've been told all my life that I looked like the great King Jonathon. Yet, it's not possible. I'm not great; I'm not at all like him. There's no way I can fix...all of this." He swept his hand around him, gesturing to the room as a whole.

"Me neither." I whispered. "Yet, according to my dream, we have to."

He looked at me, terror back in his eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked, his head tilted to the side slightly.

I barely contained a laugh at that.

"That's a very good question. I thought I was just a simple girl from Coas Wood, who never knew her parents. But then I get told I'm descended from a magical bloodline, have a dream of Alanna telling me that I'm her descendant, and destined to restore magic to the world, only to discover that her bloodline died out just over a century ago." I smiled slightly.

"She told you she was your ancestress?" He said, his eyes wide. "That...that would make-"

"I know what it would mean." I replied curtly. "But it's not possible, unless a man called Liam survived when, over a century ago, he was supposed to disappear. If, however, he did survive, and changed his name, and had children, then, it would be possible. Not probable, though." I closed my eyes, resigned.

This was all so confusing. I didn't know if I should trust my dream, or the books, or the man standing in front of me. Mithros, maybe Blackie would be more of a help than all of them put together.

"If it helps, I...I have a feeling that what we were told in our dreams is true. Perhaps it won't come to pass just yet; Mithros knows that I have no idea how to 'bring out the magic in me'. But, I have this token, given to me from the Gods. Perhaps all we have to do is believe, and then it will all fall into place." He mused, his eyes again on the stone.

"You think I'm a descendant of Alanna, then?" I said, staring at him.

"I think...I think you are, if that's what was in your dream." He said, meeting my gaze once again.

"And I'm going to find a way to prove it. Once I'm King, the line of Tortall, Olau and Pirate's Swoop will be reinstated."


	7. Pawns of the Gods

"See? I told you she wouldn't trust him." Alanna said triumphantly, crossing her arms over her chest as she faced Jonathon.

"She does trust him! She doesn't trust herself. He's the one declaring her a noble, while she's still not entirely convinced. Clearly, I did my job better than you did yours." Jon replied, smirking at her.

Alanna narrowed her eyes, about to retort, but stopped at the arrival of the Great Mother Goddess.

"It seems someone else visited dreams in Corus recently." The mother stated, appearing in front of them.

Jon merely raised an eyebrow, whilst Alanna immediately began questioning.

"Who? And whose dreams? How did they get into them? It-"

"Hush, child." The Goddess said, a smile on her face as she gently touched Alanna's shoulder.

"They visited the dreams of the future Rogue." She said, her face twisting slightly at the mention of the thief.

"They?" Jon asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

The Goddess smiled, tilting her head to Alanna with a meaningful look by way of answer.

Alanna gaped at her, slowly forming an answer.

"George Cooper! Get down here NOW!" She yelled upwards, her face furious.

Jon rolled his eyes at her temper, flaring up as always.

"What?" George said, appearing out of thin air.

"Did you or did you not visit Sarasai Buran's dreams?" Jon asked, stepping into the persona of a powerful King.

George grinned.

"I may have. And, for yer information, Jon, Rosto was with me." He said, moving to stand next to a now slightly calmer Alanna.

"Rosto? What was he doing there?" Alanna said, turning to glare at her husband.

"Krypioth wanted us to pass on a message. And, before you ask, Goddess, he did get permission from Gainel." George said, resting a hand on Alanna's shoulder, immediately calming her.

"The God of Dreams?" Jon asked. "What's he got to do with all this?" He said, turning to the Goddess.

"Honestly, Jon, how else to you think we entered their dreams if not with the help of the God himself?" Alanna replied, rolling her eyes at her old friend.

"Krypioth is on his last warning." The Goddess stated, looking at George. "Tell him that next time he contacts you. He would do well to stop meddling in my plans once in a while." She waved her hand at him, dismissing him.

With a quick kiss on Alanna's cheek, George disappeared, and Alanna's scowl soon replaced him.

"Is that all you called us here for?" She said bluntly, no longer mindful that she was speaking to the Goddess.

"No, Alanna, it is not, and I see you still haven't learnt to be patient." The Goddess said, smiling at the woman, whose scowl only deepened.

"I came to tell you that I am enlisting the help of both Keladry of Mindelan and Veralidaine Sarrasri-Salmalin. It seems the evils in Corus are too much for Alenne and Jasson alone to handle, at least between now and his coronation." The Goddess stated, as the forms of both women appeared.

"Kel, Daine." Jon said, nodding to them both.

Alanna did the same, but she couldn't help but size Kel, her long time sparring partner, up.

"Kel, we need to have a rematch soon." Alanna said, Kel replying with a welcoming grin.

"Keladry, Veralidaine," The Goddess said, calling the attention back to her, "It is your turn to enter the dreams of your descendants. Keladry, yours will make her way from Maren to Corus in the today, if she hasn't arrived already, so perhaps mention for her to look out for Alenne and befriend her. The prince, of course, will be introduced to her, as she will be a guest of the castle."

"Veralidaine, your charge is, I believe, currently in Sarain with an underground mage network. Perhaps suggest that a visit to Corus would be wise?"

With that, the Goddess nodded to all four legends, before sweeping her hands wide open and disappearing.

"Does anyone else feel like a pawn in the God's meddling?" Alanna stated miserable, causing the other three to laugh.

"Best go along with it, though." Daine stated. "If we want the world to go back to what it was."

The other three nodded gravely at this, before all four disappeared, Daine and Kel to their tasks, Jon and Alanna to, no doubt, instigate another argument.

* * *

I watched him walk out of the library, his head held high like the Prince he was.

I couldn't quite believe what had just happened. It was odd that he seemed to have so much more faith in his dream than I did in mine, though I had had some warning, from the landlady. If it was all true, then the royal Conte line hid a magical bloodline as well. Quite a contradiction, since it was the Conte line that forbid magic in Tortall in the first place.

Sighing, and resolving to put the whole mess out of my mind until absolutely necessary, I headed back to Sarasai and Blackie, who would be incredibly impatient by now.

"Sorry, got caught up." I said hurriedly, as I approached an angry-looking cat and a grinning Sarasai, her purse now fat.

"S'alright. We better head to the Court, see if he's got a job for us." Sarasai said, taking off down the street before I replied.

"Highness." Sarasai stated, both of us bowing our heads respectively as we approached the table at the far end of the basement.

"Ah, Sarasai, Alenne. Nice to see you." The Rogue nodded to us by way of greeting.

"No messages as of today. Though I have heard that a prominent member from an underground network in Sarain will be visiting Corus soon, I'll give you a message for them in the next day or so." The Rogue said, his attention more focused on the dice game to his right than Sarasai and I.

We left, grabbing my knife as we passed through the doors and into the chaos of the Lower City.

"Who do you think's coming from Sarain?" I said as we approached the Daymarket.

"Probably some rebel leader from out there. And Corus is the centre of everythin', so they come 'ere." Sarasai said, subtly swiping an apple from a stall as we passed.

I rolled my eyes, far too used to her antics to comment. She tossed the apple from one hand to another, as I surveyed Blackie, who was winding his way through the crowds ahead.

I bid goodbye to Sarasai as we neared the inn, weaving through the crowd, looking forward to a pot of warm broth.

"Come on, Blackie." I said, ushering the cat in before me.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, stopping just shy of walking into the woman in the doorway.

"Sorry." I said, sidestepping her, meaning to head on upstairs and mind my business.

"Oh, no, it was my fault." She said, smiling warmly at me.

Her accent was foreign, though I couldn't place exactly where she was from.

"Are you staying at the inn?" She asked, her eyes wide and innocent.

Slightly disgruntled at being held up by a stranger, I answered.

"Yes. Only been here a few days, though." I said, looking around for Blackie and finding, unsurprisingly, that he had disappeared.

That cat seems to have a mind of its own.

"I'm Elenna, by the way." The girl said, extending her hand to me.

I shook it, affirming from the smoothness of her skin that the girl came from an upper class background, and had never worked a day in her life.

"Alenne." I said, turning and heading upstairs, intending to send for a pot of broth as soon as possible.


	8. A Talking Constellation Cat

I stood at my window, watching Elenna make her way out of the inn, and towards the castle. I had been right in assuming she was a foreigner; she was the youngest daughter of a lord from Maren, travelling with a maid and guard, and was on her way to the palace to pass on her kingdom's regards. From what I had gathered from eavesdropping on her maid, she was in Tortall to be 'educated in the ways of other cultures.'

I personally didn't see much of a difference between Maren culture and our own, but who am I to judge?

Elenna herself hadn't spoken much, she had only been at the inn for the sake of her guard, who was now residing here as apparently there was only room for Lady Elenna and her maid within the palace walls. She was a tall woman, a few years older than me, with thick dark hair and light blue eyes. Her skin was fair, a mark of her class status.

She seemed to be a kind and fair lady, and cared a lot for her servants.

"Meow." Blackie, irritated that I was ignoring him, pawed my leg.

"What do you want?" I said, lifting him up.

_I want you to put me down. Lifting a cat up like that is simply degrading. _

I let go of him, startled, and he landed on all four paws, staring up at me indignantly.

I must have imagined that. There was no possible way that a cat talk-

_Yes, I can talk. Honestly, didn't the landlady tell you anything?_

Blackie sat quietly, licking his paws, yet I didn't trust that image. I stared at him, my mouth wide open.

"You...you can talk?" I said, completely bewildered.

_Yes, didn't I just say that? I thought you were used to all this magic around here. Obviously not, though. Perhaps they got it wrong? Perhaps you aren't the one for the job. _

Blackie jumped on my bed, making himself comfortable.

"What are you?" I asked bluntly, still reeling from discovering that my constellation cat could talk.

_I'm a constellation, _Blackie replied simply.

"I know that." I said, rolling my eyes at my obstinate cat.

_Well, then why did you ask?_

After that comment, Blackie jumped off my bed and left my room.

I stared after him, and decided that my life certainly couldn't get any weirder. Corus was most definitely not what I'd expected.

* * *

"So, the Sarain group's 'ere." Sarasai said to me, as we made our way to the Court later that afternoon.

Blackie was nowhere to be found; he'd disappeared after the little incident this morning.

"Really? Who's in it?" I asked, munching on a bun.

Sarasai shrugged.

"Don't know. Haven't seen 'em yet. Highness just told me to fetch ye, and then he'd give us a message for 'em." She said, grinning at me.

We let ourselves into the Court, leaving behind our weapons.

"Ah, you're here." The Rogue said, waving away the man he was walking to, who looked disgruntled at being dismissed, and left glaring at us.

"Here. Deliver this to the Sarain delegation, they are staying in the Fog Lantern. I trust you can find your way there?" The Rogue said, looking down at them, a letter in his hands.

"Course." Sarasai said, grabbing the letter.

"They're staying on the second floor, in the room at the back. I see no need for you to enter through a public space with such an easy entrance." The Rogue said, dismissing them.

I turned to Sarasai as we made our way into the slightly more upmarket area of Corus, heading to the inn.

"He wants us to scale a building?" I asked incredulously.

"What? Haven't ye climbed in a second story window before?" Sarasai said, grinning crookedly at me.

It turned out that there was a tree, perfect for climbing, outside the window, and soon, with minimal effort, Sarasai and I were inside the room.

"Who're you?" A girl asked, glaring at us, her arms crossed.

'We bring a message from the Rogue." I said, looking her up and down.

She raised an eyebrow at us, and hollered for her companions.

"Hamrath, they claim to be messengers." The gixie said, turning to the tall, dark haired man who had an air of authority.

"Yes?" Hamrath said, turning to us.

"His highness gave us this." Sarasai said, holding out the letter.

Hamrath grabbed it, and the gixie and their companion, a tall cove, read over his shoulder.

Hamrath finished, his eyebrows raised, and turned to Sarasai and I.

"Thank you. Tell the Rogue that I will visit him tomorrow." He said, and we nodded to him.

"Wait." The cove said, looking at me, his eyes narrowed.

"Look at her eyes, Hamrath." He said, and all eyes in the room turned to mine.

"Mithros!" Hamrath exclaimed, and the gixie whistled.

"You may go." Hamrath said, pointing to Sarasai, who promptly climbed out the window, shrugging at me.

"You on the other hand..." He paused, looking me up and down.

He raised his hand, now glowing with a brownish red fire, and brought it in front of him. My necklace started glowing, and I subconsciously clasped it, gulping.

"You have a token from the Gods." He said, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Yes." I said meekly, seeing no reason to lie.

"And I would bet you have magic, too." He smiled at me.

"Don't worry, you are among allies, here. I'm sure you know we come from Sarain. I would wager, however, that the Rogue regretted to tell you that we come from an underground mage network, and are here to help...alleviate the current situation." He said, and the gixie snorted.

"It's more of a disastrous epidemic, if ye ask me." She said, examining her nails.

"You're all mages?" I asked, looking from one face to the other.

"Yes." Hamrath replied. "I am particularly skilled with fire, Yates here is a healer, and Shesa here...well, she's an animal person." He said, and the cove, Yates, smiled at me.

Shesa just glared at me. She had tanned skin, though her hair was a dark blonde. I would have guessed that she was part K'miri, as I'd met a few K'miri before, and she resembled the tribes.

"What do you mean, an animal person?" I asked, my attention now on Shesa.

"I'm a wild mage." She said bluntly.

"A what?" I replied, my eyes wide.

"Do ye not know anything?" She snorted at me.

"Means I can understand animals. My speciality's those of the four-legged kind." She said, blowing a piece of her hair out of her face.

"Shesa's the only wild mage we've found." Hamrath said, looking at the gixie with a fatherly pride.

"She's...one of a kind." Yates said, looking at Shesa with a mixture of disgust, wonder and amusement.

"Ah." I said, as I couldn't think of anything else.

"We would be honoured if, whilst we are here, you would consider studying with us. I expect that there would be much we could learn from each other." Hamrath proposed.

Shesa sneered at me as he did so, though Yates, in contrast, smiled warmly.

"I would be very grateful. I have a lot to learn." I said, smiling to Hamrath and Yates, whilst studiously ignoring Shesa.

"We will be in touch." Hamrath said, and I climbed out the window and headed back to the Lower City.

As I passed the Market of Sorrows, a disturbance caught my eye. A large group of people was gathered around the entrance, and I could hear a woman screaming.

The Market always had an air of despair around it. Slavery in Tortall had been banned in the golden age, but that was not so in the current times. Many of the poorer families sold their children as a means of sustaining themselves. More commonly, though, children were snatched by others, who then sold them without the family's knowledge. Whilst slavery was not looked upon fondly by the royalty, no one did anything to stop it.

"No! You can't! He's my son!" A woman screamed, and as I neared the market I could see her, on her knees, pleading with the slavers.

"I will buy him." A lady said, stepping out of the crowd, her head covered by a cloak. I could see a bag of coins in her hand as I joined the circle of observers.

"Pleasure doing business with ye." The slaver said, thrusting a small boy towards the lady and taking the coins in exchange. The slavers quickly retreated, and most of the crowd did also.

"Thank you." The mother gasped, clutching her child to her bosom.

"My pleasure." The lady answered. "Slavery is barbaric." She turned to leave, her hood blowing off as she did so, and I gasped.

It was Elenna, the lady from Maren. I quickly ran to follow her.

"Elenna!" I called, grasping her arm and spinning her around to face me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Alenne!" She said, recognition flashing across her face.

"I suppose you saw that incident?" She asked, and I nodded.

"I would save them all, if I could. Unfortunately, the regents refuse to listen to reason, and will do nothing to stop slavery. It's the same in every country." She said, smiling slightly at me.

"You have no responsibility to save them all." I said, looking at her in wonder.

"I was born in privilege, and I live a comfortable life. Is that not reason enough to help out other?" She replied, before she continued on her way.

I stared after her, contemplating her words. There were many who hated the slave trade, though I couldn't think of any who stood up against it. It seemed that Elenna was unique in that way.

I turned, intending to head back to the Lower City, and the inn. It had been a rather long day, what with the discovering that my cat talked, the delegation from Sarain, and now this. As I entered the Daymarket, I spotted Sarasai.

"Thanks so much for leaving me there." I said, smirking at her.

She grinned at me.

"Figured ye could handle yeself." She said, as we made our way through the market.

Sarasai was quick to swipe a mot's purse as we passed, and I, being used to her ways, let it pass, thinking nothing of it anymore. Corus was rubbing of on me.

It wasn't till we rounded the corner that I noticed something was amiss.

"Stop them!" Someone called, and I could hear a thundering of feet behind us.

"Thief! She stole my purse!" A woman screamed, and Sarasai and I looked at each other, fear in our eyes.

"Run!" Sarasai said, and we did.

We ran down an alleyway, and I could hear the guards behind us. It was rare to find guards in the Lower City, which probably meant the mot whose purse Sarasai filched had called them. We split up, Sarasai, scaling a small wall and climbing over roofs, whilst I chose the safer path, a more direct one, to the inn.

I rounded another corner, and was brought up short. A guard stood before me, another behind. They'd cornered me.

"Got one!" The guard in front of me called, whilst the one behind shackled me.

"No! It wasn't me! I didn't steal it!" I exclaimed, struggling against the bonds.

"Shut it." One of them said.

"Search her."

They patted me up and down, checked my purse and found my knife.

"It's not on her." One said.

"I told you, I didn't steal it!" I said again, in earnest.

They both looked at me, clearly indecisive. They couldn't bring in an innocent prisoner, it was a waste of cell space.

"Mithros!" One exclaimed, stepping away from me, clutching her eyes.

"Purple eyes." The other spat, leering at me.

"Let's bring her in. Might as well give her a trial."


	9. The Break Out: Part 1

The bars slammed shut, and the guards walked away, snickering softly.

"NO! What about my trial? You can't just lock me up!" I screamed after them.

They laughed, one turning around to face me, sneering.

"Yer trial's tomorrow, rat." He said, smirking at me.

He turned to follow his companion, saying over his shoulder:

"With the Provost."

I could hear the smirk in his voice. The Lord Provost was the most feared prosecutor in Tortall. Every single person he's trialled has been found guilty, and executed.

I had just been handed a death sentence.

* * *

"Name?" He asked, looking down at me with disgust.

"Alenne Couper, of Coas Wood." I replied, my gaze on the floor.

I could see Sarasai in the benches, behind the fence, with Yates and Sesha, and a few other members of the Rogue's Court that I'd seen about. I was in the local Courthouse, being questioned by the Provost. Usually trials were conducted behind closed doors, but it seemed that the Provost felt it was time for a public spectacle. Just my luck to be the one subjected to it.

"Alenne Couper, you are under trial for suspicion of magic. This is a randomly issued trial that any citizen of the crown may be subjected to.

However, this trial is also to investigate certain aspects about Miss Couper that appear to be magical in origin. In this case, her eyes."

I could feel the gaze of everyone in the courthouse move to my face, but I kept my eyes on the floor.

"Miss Couper, you have been trialled before, is that correct?" The Provost asked.

"Yes." I replied, still staring at the small, dusty spot of floor directly in front of me.

"And you passed all trials?" He continued.

"Yes." I said again.

"Alright. Miss Couper, could you please grip the stone on your right." He asked.

The stone on my right was a typical scrying stone, though I doubted that the Provost knew that. It was supposed to pick up any magic flowing through the holder's body. It was a standard test present in all trials, and I'd been subjected to it before. Of course, that was before I actually was guilty of practicing magic. However, I wasn't worried. It wasn't hard to control the small fire that burned within me, to keep it contained and away from my right arm, away from the stone and any chance of detection.

I picked up the stone, being careful to let my face remain impassive. The Provost leaned forward, looking eagerly at the stone. The lack of reaction from the stone seemed to disappoint him, and he moved straight onto the next test.

"We have to do something! The Provost'll execute her!" Sarasai whispered.

"He won't. Not without proof. " Yates whispered back.

A handful of Rogue members were present at the Courthouse, and Yates and Shesa were also there, Sesha with a rather disgruntled look on her face.

"Ye are new here. Ye don't know the lengths he goes to. He'll keep testing 'er 'til she cracks, and admits to bein' a mage, even if she aint." Sarasai said.

"But-" Yates started, but Sesha elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't. She probably didn't tell Sarasai about her gift for a reason. I'd wager that the Rogue doesn't know, either." She whispered, before settling back into her angry, disgruntled position.

Yates sat back, sighing. His gaze returned to Alenne, currently holding an old book, and prayed for the best.

* * *

"Highness." The Provost said, bowing to the regents as he entered the throne room.

"Ah, Lord Thomson. You have news?" Jonthair of Conte said, sitting forward in his seat.

The widowed Queen sat on his right, staring down at the Lord Provost without a trace of emotion on her face.

"I fear we may have a situation in the Lower City, sire." Lord Thomson said, kneeling in front of the regents.

"Rise, Thomson. What do you mean?" Jonthair said, raising a black eyebrow at his long-time friend.

"Well, it appears that a group of known mages recently entered the city, from Sarain. Apparently, they are wanted in their own country, and made their way here."

"Have you caught them?" Jonthair asked, taking a sip from the goblet next to him.

"Unfortunately not, your highness." The Provost replied, looking at his feet.

Jonthair hissed in anger.

"Well, I suggest you find them and arrest them, immediately. I expect you to control the Lower City, Thomson. I have enough problems without worrying about silly little mages running around, and the thieves stirring up trouble every other day." He looked down at Thomson, his gaze stern.

"Is that all?" He asked, his voice cold.

"No, sire. I questioned a girl with purple eyes earlier today." The Provost stated, clearly hoping for a reaction from Jonthair.

"And why is that notable?" The other man said, clearly not seeing the significance.

The Provost barely concealed a sigh of annoyance before replying.

"Your highness, purple eyes are a known sign of powerful magic. Indeed, they are connected to a very powerful magical bloodline." The Provost said.

"Well, then I suggest you execute her, Thomson." Jonthair said, his face impassive.

"I can't, sire, she passed all the trials." He replied, his face thunderous. It was common knowledge that the Provost did not like it when someone walked free.

"Well, then, keep trying until she fails. If it is true, what you say about her eyes, no doubt she will not resist forever. Remember, all those with magic must be purged. We cannot risk it being otherwise." Jonthair said, waving the Provost away with a hand.

"Well, that was an utter waste of time." Jonthair said to the Queen beside him.

She turned, her cold eyes boring into his.

"Honestly, Jonthair, you could act as if you care a little more. We can't have an uprising in the Lower City." The Queen said, speaking for the first time since the Provost had arrived.

"We won't, if Thomson does as is required of him. He knows the consequences." Jonthair replied, sipping his wine again.

"You have other issues to deal with. I cannot govern the country alone, Jonthair. Tusaine destroyed Tyra, I won't have them doing the same to us. Mithros knows how they got so powerful without one of the other countries stepping in, but I will stand my ground. Once Jasson is King, this land will be on the path to glory, as it should be." The Queen said, staring straight ahead.

"No! Jasson is not fit to rule, he is reckless and careless. Besides, he has yet to be knighted. Every other country in the land has the same internal battle with magic as we do; that is a well-publicised fact. The time for war against our neighbours will come, but for the present, I feel that we need to wait." Jonthair said, before sweeping out of the room.

"Or, you are too much of a coward to do anything except maintain a firm grasp on your power." The Queen muttered after him as he left.

Jonthair had never been good for the country. He was far too focused on furthering his own means than he should be; it was dangerous. Queen Margaryte knew that he would never openly go to war against the other nations. Instead, he would let them slowly encroach on their borders, making them powerless. The Queen knew that the only hope of restoring her country's honour lay in her son. All she could do was hope that he had some spirit and a gift for leading, those key elements that being King required, those that had been missing in every male of his line for the past century.

* * *

I was once again thrown in a cell, those this time it was not in the cages. No, I'd been upgraded to the palace dungeons.

What an honour.

It seemed that the Provost had taken a particular interest in me since I passed his trial, and had had me moved to the palace cells so he could interrogate me more. Clearly, my eyes worried him.

I struck my fist again the iron bars, frustrated. I was trapped; the one person who never relented with trials was bent on proving that I was a mage. Only a handful of people did know I was a mage; the landlady, who was too unpredictable to rely on, the Sarain delegation, who I'd only just met, and...and Prince Jasson.

Well, that wasn't good. If he told the Provost about me, I was as good as dead.

Though, I wasn't far from it now, I suppose. How on earth was I supposed to escape this mess?

After an hour in the cell, I discovered that beating the bars did nothing except make my hands bloody. Instead, I settled for conjuring fireballs, a recent discovery of mine, and throwing them at the bars.

I wasn't sure how I'd learned to create fireballs, but spending the previous night locked in a cage seemed to have flicked a switch in me. I spent most of the night watching little specks of dust float around the cage, slaves to my anger, and creating fireballs and throwing them at the wall, simply to relieve my frustration.

I settled for the same technique here.

I conjured a mass of purple fire, launching it at the bars. After it hit, making a terrific scorch mark, I heard a gasp.

I whirled around in a circle, looking for the source.

"Ye can do magic." A disembodied voice said, sounding like it came from across the hall.

Cells lined the hallway, and I'd thought they were all empty.

Apparently not, though.

I can't believe I'd been so stupid, to blatantly show my gift where anyone might see me. Imprisonment might be making me insane.

A boy, about my age, covered in dirt slowly came into view, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"Yes." I said warily, eyeing him.

He was thin, grubby and a typical rat.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking him up and down.

"Name's Graf. Worked in the palace up til last week, when they found a magic token in me room. Now, I'm 'ere." He grinned.

"Not so bad, though. They haven't executed me yet." He spat on the floor, before sitting down, reclining on his hands, looking at me.

"Ye in here for magic?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied warily.

"I passed the trial with the Provost, but he's going to keep trialling me till I break." I said gloomily.

The boy laughed, a thin chuckle that floated through the air between us.

"Can't ye just magic yeself out?" He asked.

"No. The bars are resistant, apparently." I said, glaring at the bars in question.

"Well, looks like ye'll just have to go the old fashioned escape route then, unless ye want to stay 'ere." He said, grinning mischievously in a way that reminded me of Sarasai.

"You think we could escape?" I asked, curious.

Clearly this boy was resourceful.

* * *

Jasson crept slowly back down the corridor, away from his secret spyhole into the throne room. He had been eavesdropping on the room for many years, but what he had heard today was by far the most troubling. His Uncle had essentially given the Lord Provost license to trial Alenne until she cracked.

No, he would not allow the only other magical person he knew to be executed. When he was King, the country of Tortall would improve, as his mother hoped. However, Jasson was not as foolish as his relatives. He knew that allowing magic again would bring down the wrath of every other nation, and he was well aware that Tortall would not survive a war.

However, the growing unrest in the Lower City was also troubling. It seemed to the young prince that no matter what happened, his kingdom was bound for war, be it civil war or otherwise.

He shuffled out of the small corridor, crashing directly into someone, who gasped.

"Your Highness!" Elenna gasped, hurriedly curtseying to the prince, who smiled at her, grabbing her hand to pull her up.

"Lady Elenna." He acknowledged, dipping his head. "I'm dreadfully sorry for that, my mistake." He said, intending on continuing down the corridor.

"Wait!" She called after him, grabbing his arm.

"Is it true the Lord Provost threw Alenne into the cells?" She asked breathlessly, her eyes wide.

His own eyes widened at her apparent knowledge.

"How on earth did you find that out?" He asked, staring at her.

"What," She said indignantly, "You think you're the only one who can eavesdrop?" She grinned at him, revealing a mischievous streak that he'd never seen in any Tortallan noblewoman.

"Fair enough." He said, grinning back at the girl he now saw as a kindred spirit.

"How do you know Alenne?" He inquired.

"Bumped into her a few times in the Lower City. She's a good person, she shouldn't be subjected to endless trials." She turned to look at him, her eyes boring into his.

"We have to get her out." She whispered.

Jasson looked at her, weighing up his options. He had no real idea why Lady Elenna was so invested in freeing Alenne, but he wasn't going to question an ally at a moment when he needed one desperately.

"What do you propose we do?" He finally asked, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile at the prospect of defying his Uncle and the Lord Provost.


	10. The Break Out: Part 2

"It seems as if your descendant has chosen to honour the law breaking side of her ancestry." Jonathon taunted Alanna, who was steadily growing redder.

"She is not a thief! She's under trial for magic use!" Alanna spat back at Jon.

"She was only caught because she was on the run with her friend the pickpocket." Jon said calmly, surveying Alanna's angry demeanour.

"I believe you, Jon, were great friends with my husband in his days as a thief. What can you possibly have against Alenne and her current acquaintances? Surely you can't dispute that they'll turn out to be an asset in this grand plan." Alanna said, smirking at her long time sparring partner.

Jon glared back at her, unable to retort as she was, infuriatingly, right.

After a moment silence whilst the pair continued walking, Jon turned to Alanna, sighing.

"I think we should help them. The Goddess won't do anything at the moment, she's too involved with Daine and Kel. I think she intends for us to solve this one on our own. Mithros knows we've had enough experience to be able to." Jon said, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"So you think I should call George, perhaps Rosto, and then we'll convince Gainel to let us visit their dreams, unauthorised, and somehow free Alenne from jail and overthrow Jonthair?" Alanna scoffed.

"No. I think it's time I took some action against another descendant of mine who is only making this situation worse, whilst you go to Gainel and provide whatever help you can for Alenne." Jon said, before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving a gaping Alanna.

As much as Alanna the Lioness detested taking orders from one of her oldest friends, she knew that, in this instance, it would be wise to do so. Besides, she had more than enough ideas of how to help the girl, and being married to a former Rogue did have its perks when it came to conceiving cunning plans.

The plan was almost ready. All that was left to do was implement it.

* * *

I leant against the far wall, opposite the bars, watching the ragged boy in the cell opposite mine pace up and down. We'd decided to wait until roughly the middle of the night, and the guard change over, to put plan 'Break-out' into motion. I felt my eyelids slowly closing, despite my best efforts to stay awake for the plan.

Slowly the world was consumed by darkness, and Alanna the Lioness appeared before me.

"Took you long enough to fall asleep." She commented, her arms folded, legs apart in a defensive stance.

"What do you want?" I said, rather rudely, angry that I'd fallen asleep.

"I can help you." She said bluntly, just as forthcoming as always.

I was starting to get irritated with Alanna, though I'd never actually met her in person. I'd come to realise that Alanna, and presumably the Gods too, couldn't really care all that much for me, despite the previous message, as I'd been locked up and essentially sent to my death. So, I think my frustration at the Lioness' blunt statement was completely justified.

"Oh? And exactly what do you think you can do? If you'd stepped in a few days ago, all would be fine! But no, someone up there had to try and teach me some sort of twisted lesson and now I'm stuck in the palace cells!" I screamed at her, not entirely surprised when her only reaction was a rather bored look.

""I have no control over the Goddess, and she would have her reasons for leaving you here. The question still remains the same, are you going to accept my help, or are you willing to rot in here for the rest of your life? Believe me, your plan will fail without my help."

I glared at her, my purple eyes boring into her own. It was quite an odd sensation, really, looking at someone who was almost your mirror image.

"Fine." I said grudgingly, huffing in irritation.

Alanna smiled tightly at my reaction, before launching into her plan.

* * *

The palace clock chimed three times, and throughout the palace, guards walked away from their posts, new guards walking towards them.

In the dungeons, a group of five snuck through the shadows towards the cells, taking advantage of the guard changeover. The chains and tools they carried with them jangled quietly, and they constantly tried to stifle the sound.

Ahead of them, unseen, walked a black cat. The cat would have aroused suspicion to anyone who saw it as it was carrying a set of keys in its mouth, however, no one that it passed seemed to notice it.

The cell in question contained a thin girl, her purple eyes shining in the moonlight streaming through a high window. When the cat reached her, she grabbed the keys, patting it briefly on the head.

"Thanks, Blackie." She whispered, before unlocking her cell down and slipping out. She quickly locked it again, before doing the same to the cell opposite her.

The boy in that cell was grinning widely, his teeth gleaming in the dim lighting.

"So, lemme get this straight. Alanna the Lioness visited ye in a dream, and somehow made ye cat bring ye the keys?" He whispered to the red-headed girl as they snuck down the corridor, looking left and right for guards, and all the time nearing the as of yet unseen group of five.

"Yep. Stick around me long enough and stuff like that becomes normal." She whispered back, looking over her shoulder as she did so, the cat following her like a shadow.

The boy laughed quietly at this.

"Alenne, me mam was a herbalist, and me pa was a Shang warrior. I grew up in weirdness." He said, grinning again.

The girl smiled slightly, but they both quickly stopped talking when they heard the sound of a group approaching.

"Ow! Yates, ye idiot, ye stepped on me foot!" Someone whispered angrily.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sesha, I didn't see you there." Someone else replied mockingly.

"Yates, Sesha? Is that you?" The red headed girl said, stepping out of the shadows, causing her companion to gasp and try and pull her back.

"Alenne?" Someone else said, walking forward to meet the red-headed girl. Another shadowy figure followed, until all seven people, plus one very intelligent cat, were standing in a patch of moonlight.

"Jasson." The red headed girl said, smiling slightly at the black haired figure that had a regal air about him, both blushing slightly.

"Alenne! I'm glad you're okay." Another figure said, walking forward to place her arm on the Prince's arm.

Alenne glared at the girl, her face pale.

"Elenna." She said briskly, before turning to the next figure.

"How'd ye get out?" Sarasai asked, after greeting her friend.

"Blackie brought the keys." The red head replied, looking at her cat fondly.

"That's one smart cat ye have there." The tall figure, Yates, stated, causing Alenne to laugh softly.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here." The other girl, Sesha said, clearly impatient.

They group of seven, plus one cat, all snuck back out of the palace, though no one noticed that the boy from the cell, Graf, was staring constantly at Sarasai.


	11. The Eleventh Hour

I've decided there is nothing better after a night in a dungeon that waking up in your own bed. It's an amazing feeling, even if the bed isn't a particularly soft one.

I stretched, not wanting to get up but knowing that I would have to, Sarasai and I were due to report to the Rogue, and I was sure that at least one of the group would come to question me about my time in the cells.

Reluctantly, I headed down stairs with Blackie at my heels.

"Morning, lass." The landlady said from beside the hearth. The inn was empty, so I had no way of avoiding the questioning that I was sure was coming.

"I have something for ye." She said cryptically, before disappearing into a side room.

That was not what I was expecting. Usually when a lodger was locked up, they would be kicked out of an inn. Apparently, the landlady had some sort of an interest in me.

That made a lot of sense, actually. I usually avoided her conversations, but she obviously had something to do with the rebel network and the rise in magic users in Tortall. She was peculiar, but was most likely a key part of the rebellion.

"Here." She said, appearing in front of me and making me jump.

She thrust a stack of papers in my hands, and I stared down at them blankly.

"What is it?" I asked rather slowly, confused.

"They were in that parcel ye gave me when ye arrived. Those papers tell ye who ye are." She said, sounding much like a riddle, before she shuffled off to the kitchen, leaving me alone to ponder the papers.

I looked down, recognizing the image on the first as a family tree. I looked closer, and saw a name about halfway down: Alanna of Tortall.

I stared at the page in disbelief.

'Those papers tell ye who ye are', she had said. Was this a family tree that proved I was a noble?

Was this the key to becoming who I am supposed to be?

I quickly ran up to my room and shoved the papers under a loose floorboard, the safest place I could think of.

I would have to ward it with some kind of magic as well, but I had no idea how to do that, so I left the room, heading off to the Dancing Dove for the Rogue's meeting.

* * *

"WHAT DID YOU TWO DO?" The Goddess screeched, and Alanna and Jon cowered in front of her, Jon wincing at the volume of her voice.

The Goddess, for the most part, was calm and gentle. However, if someone interfered with her plan, she was liable to-

"I come back from talking to my brother, and SHE'D ESCAPED FROM THE CELLS! We needed her to stay there! Why on earth would you do that!" She exclaimed, the air around her crackling with her anger, a thunderstorm brewing far below as a result.

"And, furthermore, Jonthair implemented new laws! That makes it IMPOSSIBLE for Jasson to rule! I reiterate, WHAT DID YOU DO?" She said, glaring down at them both, her arms crossed over her chest.

Alanna answered first, stepping forward slightly, her chin thrust forward in a show of confidence.

"Jon suggested that we had to do something about the situation, so I helped out with the break out." She said simply, not looking at Jonathon who looked crestfallen.

"I have no idea what he did whilst I did that, though." She said, and both sets of female eyes turned to Jon curiously.

Jon sighed before replying, looking resigned.

"I tried to convince Jonthair to step down." He said, looking at the crowd.

It was rare for Jon to look so rejected, which made Alanna realise that he truly regretted his actions, so she refrained from yelling.

The Goddess, however, did not.

"YOU DID WHAT?" She screamed, and both legends winced again, the wind picking up around them as the Goddess' anger was enraged.

"I tried, and failed. That's why he's decided that he is the only person who can approve whether or not Jasson is fit to rule." Jon said, clearly wanting to leave the situation and let the Goddess cool off.

"Yes, THAT IS WHY OUR PLAN IS RUINED! AND THE FUTURE OF MAGIC!" The Goddess exclaimed, the air around her now tinged red, Alanna and Jon both watching her warily.

"It is all because of your rash actions that everything is ruined, Jonathon of Conte." The Goddess said, before disappearing in a whirl of wind that greatly resembled a tornado, knocking both Alanna and Jon to their feet.

"That did not go well." Alanna said unnecessarily, staring at the spot where the Goddess had disappeared.

"Really?" Jon replied sarcastically, taking his temper out on Alanna.

"Oh, shut it, Jon. It was your idea, do not take it out on me." She said, walking away quickly from the fuming King.

"Where do you think she went?" Jon said as she walked away, gesturing to the spot where the Goddess had stood.

"Probably to consult Mithros." Alanna muttered, before disappearing from sight.

* * *

"What d'ye think this is all 'bout?" Sarasai asked me, tossing an apple from hand to hand as we entered the Court of the Rogue.

I shrugged by way of response, taking my place (leaning against the wall) next to Yates, Hamrath and Sesha.

"I don't see why I have to be 'ere!" Sesha hissed at Hamrath.

"Why didn't ye just come alone?" She grumbled as Hamrath shot her a scathing look and Yates shushed her.

Sarasai and I exchanged a look at Sesha's antics. I'd come to realise that childish, selfish tantrums were a strong characteristic of hers.

"QUIET!" Someone yelled from up the front of the room, and instantly all the mindless chatter about bread prices, removing stains and gossip died down, leaving a heavy silence as we all waited for the Rogue to speak.

The Rogue nodded to his bodyguards, who then stepped down from their places on his right and left, before standing next to the wall. It was only with them out of the way that the Rogue left his throne and addressed us.

"Corus has gone to the dogs. We have less freedom than we did before the Golden Age, slavery is rife, and Tortall is ruled by an incompetent and corrupt government. It is time for a rebellion."

He slowly scanned the room, taking in each and every one of us.

"Some of you come here for different reasons. I know many of you fight for other causes than this," he said, looking pointedly to the Sarain mages group to my right, "but we can all see the injustice here. We may be selfish thieves, but we do this, not for ourselves, but for our community."

"Tonight, we attack the Market of Sorrows. Slavery is out-dated, and should have stayed taboo. Hopefully, after today, it will be."

Everyone in the room stood up slightly taller at the mention of an attack, all listening intently.

"Meet here when the clock chimes eight tonight. From there, I will give you the details of the attack. We will attack at approximately eleven."

He surveyed us all again, before dismissing us with a wave of his hand. The instant he sat down, chatter broke out again, though this time it was excited, full of anticipation about tonight's events.

"This'll be interesting." I said to Sarasai, who nodded, her mouth full of apple.

"Oh, aye, very interestin'." Sesha chimed in from behind us, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I came 'ere to help revive magic. I don't see what destroyin' a market does for me cause." She said huffily, and I stared at her.

"All injustices are linked. One strike at the regents is what we need to start it off, after tonight, magic will be brought back." I said confidently, though I had absolutely no idea how to do that.

"What would ye know?" She said scathingly.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Hamrath beat me to it.

"It doesn't matter how much experience you have, but instead about how much heart you have." Hamrath said, staring down at Sesha, who huffed and stalked off.

"Alenne," Hamrath said, turning to me, "my underground mage network knows how to handle these kinds of situations, and we can teach you how to help, as you seem willing." He said, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"You want me to join you?" I asked, looking sideways at him as we walked to the exit.

"If you'd like." He replied, looking at me expectantly.

"I'm in." I said, shaking his hand before heading off with Sarasai.

"I didn't know ye were a mage." She said bluntly.

I gaped at her, belatedly remembering that I had never actually revealed my gifts to anyone except Jasson. The Rogue, the landlady, Yates, Hamrath and Sesha had all guessed.

"Oh. Well, I am." I said, rather lamely.

"Makes sense." She replied, grinning wickedly at me before swiping another apple from a stall.

"You have a fetish for apples, don't you?" I asked, rolling my eyes as we headed through the Lower City.

"'Course." She said.

"I'm gonna go work." She said, patting her purse, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Want to come?" She offered.

"I'm right." I said, shaking my head at her 'work', or, in normal terms, pickpocketing.

I watched her weave through the crowd, before a thin, grubby hand came out of nowhere, grabbed my arm and dragged me into a dingy alleyway.

"Graf." I said, shocked to see the boy who had disappeared shortly after we broke him out of the cells.

"Where did you go?" I asked him, looking him up and down.

He was covered in dirt, suggesting he hadn't found an inn or suchlike to sleep in, but was grinning widely, so he seemed to be happy.

"Around." He said, leaning against the rough stone wall behind him, releasing my arm.

"I was in th' meetin'." He said. "Snuck in." He grinned wickedly at me, in a way very similar to what Sarasai had done just moments earlier.

"You snuck in to the Court of the Rogue?" I said, my eyes widening.

He shrugged.

"So?" He asked, looking as if this sort of thing, meetings in alleyways and impending rebellions, were an everyday occurrence for him.

"What do you want?" I asked, realising that he must have dragged me in here for some purpose.

"Well, I wanted to make sure ye'd pass on details 'bout later." He said, standing up straight and taking a step closer to me.

"I also wanted to get somethin' straight." He said, looking me directly in the eye.

"I want to help." He said, and I just stared back, his face only inches from mine.

"With what?" I asked, rather stupidly, my voice breathless, my heart beating rather fast at his proximity.

"Rebellion." He said shortly, before leaning in even closer, our foreheads were touching.

"Why?" I managed to choke out.

He grinned at that.

"I thought t'was obvious." He said.

He leaned in quickly, brushing my lips with his own, before darting backwards, down the alley and out of sight before I had even reacted.

I stared after him, completely confused.

He was an odd cove, that one.

I headed out slowly, shaking my head to clear it. I headed towards the inn, intent on reading over the papers the landlady had given me in the few hours before the meeting.

* * *

"Jonathon has ruined us all." The Goddess said, turning to face her brother.

Mithros, wielding a white spear, turned to face the Mother Goddess, his face impassive.

"How?" He asked simply.

The Goddess hesitated, knowing that the news would anger her brother. As a God with power over war, Mithros' emotions could have, and often did, have disastrous consequences.

"Jonthair has implemented rules that make it impossible for Jasson to rule whilst Jonthair is alive." She said, carefully watching her brother's features for the explosion she was sure would come.

She was waiting in vain, however. His face remained calm as he replied.

"There is a simple solution. Jasson must overcome his uncle, so that he may take his place and fulfil his destiny." The God said simply, smiling slightly.

The Goddess, however, was not so reassured with these plans.

Jonthair of Conte may be ruthless, and Jonathon of Conte was remembered as a great warrior. Jasson of Conte, however, possessed neither of his relative's qualities, and the Goddess thought that the task of killing his uncle might be too heavy a burden.

After all, Jonathon hadn't killed _his_ Uncle, Roger. That had been left to Alanna.

It was then that the Goddess began planning to train Alenne, just as she had with Alanna all those centuries ago. It appeared that, yet again, it was the task of a small, red-headed girl to rid the world of a cruel Uncle who stood in the way of progress.

* * *

As the palace clock chimed eight times, all faces in the room turned to face the Rogue. Scanning the room, I could see a mixture of emotions.

Sarasai next to me was full of excitement, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Sesha, in contrast, was leaning against the wall, a bored expression on her face, looking completely drained of energy.

Yates and Hamrath both had an expression of rapt attention on their faces, looking every inch the part of eager and loyal rebels.

I saw Graf at the back of the room, who, upon catching my eye, winked. I blushed at this, looking to the dusty floor.

As soon as the meeting was over, I knew I had to straighten things out with Graf. I was _not_ the sort of mot who did those kinds of things, and he had to know that.

I turned my face to the front to distract myself from Graf, listening to the Rogue's instructions.

"Our runners, Sarasai and Alenne, you will be lookouts at the back entrance to the market." The Rogue said, nodding to Sarasai and myself.

"Two of our Sarain friends, Yates and Sesha, lookouts at the front entrance." He said, and Yates nodded in understanding, Sesha, however, remained impassive.

"Everyone else, in the action. We need to be in and out as quickly as possible, there's no need for anyone to spend the night in the cages." The Rogue smiled wryly at this, and a small chuckle trickled across the room.

"Lookouts, I want you in place by nine. Everyone else, return home to gather the necessities, before meeting here at ten for an eleventh hour strike."

Lastly, our objective: release the slaves. You know why."

With that, the Rogue stepped back, and we were dismissed. Excited chatter immediately started up, but Sarasai, Yates, Sesha and myself moved through it all, moving to take our places as lookouts.

The atmosphere was now thick with tension and apprehension. All around us men and women were becoming soldiers, rebels. We were no longer simply thieves, we were fighting for our freedom, for fairness.

We were halfway down the alleyway next to the Dancing Dove when Graf appeared.

"Graf!" I exclaimed, startled at his sudden appearance. I'd momentarily forgotten my resolution to make my lack of feelings completely clear.

"About earlier, that was a mistake-" I started, but he cut me off.

"And ye never want it t'happen again?" He said over me, grinning mischievously again.

"Got it." He said, turning from me to Sarasai beside me.

It was only then that I realised that Sarasai, previously full of energy, had frozen. She was staring at Graf, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

"Graf." She whispered, looking faint.

Graf smiled at the sound of his name on her lips.

"Sarasai." He said in reply, though his was confident and loud.

We all looked questioningly at the two of them, it was clear they had met before from Sarasai's reaction to recognizing him.

"She's me sister." He said by way of explanation.

We all looked from one to the other, even more confused.

I guess this explained why Graf's mischievous grin had so reminded me of Sarasai's.


	12. The Market of Sorrows

"Ye ducknob! Ye appear out of NOWHERE, wha' am I suppose' t'think-" Sarasai yelled, her face going red as she released her anger at her newly revealed brother.

"Aye, shut it. Ye know where I was. The CELLS. Ye didn't have the guts t'visit-" Graf interjected, but Sarasai quickly shouted over him.

I shook my head, heading down the previously quiet laneway behind the Market of Sorrows. Yates and Sesha, our fellow lookouts, had split off a few minutes ago, to go to their own post.

So now it was just me stuck with the yelling siblings.

"Ma always liked ye better-" Sarasai was saying, though I had no idea how that was relevant to the argument anymore.

"SO?" Graf screamed back at her.

"I thought ye'd got over it-" He retorted, but I'd finally had enough.

"SHUT IT!" I yelled, emitting a ball of purple light from my hand, throwing it between them.

They both turned to gape at me, mouths wide open, speechless, thankfully.

I rolled my eyes at their expressions.

"Graf, go away, you're not supposed to be here. Sarasai'll talk to you later, _right Sarasai_?" I said forcefully, glaring at my friend.

Sarasai huffed, nodding slightly in a grudging acquiesce, and Graf shuffled off.

Ah, silence. Thank Mithros for that.

"I ain't seen him for near on a year." Sarasai said quietly, startling me.

"Why?" I asked curiously, unable to stop myself from prying into the past of my friend, a subject I was just discovering that I knew very little about.

"He went to t'palace to work. He was spyin' for the Rogue." She said bluntly, her gaze on the ground.

"He wanted t'overthrow the Provost. Looks like he'll get his wish." She muttered bitterly.

"You didn't want him to go to the palace?" I asked, gathering that much from her expression.

"Aye. Thought he'd get himself killed." She said, kicking a pebble with his foot. "Nearly did."

She sighed, looking down the laneway after him.

We stood in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, Sarasai looking morose, myself pondering her words and the whole situation.

"You didn't realise it was him when we broke out of the cells?" I asked, it seemed rather far-fetched that they'd almost come face to face some many times recently, but hadn't realised the other's identity.

"Nay. He looks different." She said flatly, and I could tell I wasn't going to get much information out of her from now on. Sarasai was usually bubbly and mischievous, and seeing her thoroughly dejected and slightly angry was a foreign concept.

* * *

"Alanna." The Goddess said, appearing in front of the short woman, startling her.

"Goddess." Alanna murmured, carefully studying the Goddess' features.

As far as Alanna could tell, her anger seemed to have abated, and she had the determined look that the red-head had come to associate with a new plan.

"How can I help?" Alanna asked, courteous for once, treading carefully around the Goddess.

"I would like you to train Alenne to fight. She has some basic skills, but she will need to be much, much more competent for the task that faces her." The Goddess said, pacing up and down before the female legend.

"What is this task, exactly?" Alanna asked, curious.

"Mithros believes that Jonthair must be killed for things to progress along the proper course. I have decided that the one to fulfil this task must be Alenne." She said bluntly, offering only as much information as was strictly necessary.

"Alenne? Kill Jonthair?" Alanna asked, her face betraying her speculation.

"Are you sure?" She added, wide-eyed.

"Yes." The Goddess added, her tone now cold, wanting no argument to her orders.

"Visit her soon, and start training her. I fear that this will all come to a head by Midwinter."

With that ominous line, the Goddess disappeared, leaving Alanna much bogged down by worry for her charge, and worry for the future of her country.

After all, Midwinter was just over three weeks away. How much progress could a girl make in three weeks?

* * *

I stifled a yawn, sliding down lower against the rough stone wall as I did so.

"Oi," Sarasai exclaimed, hitting me on the shoulder, "don't nod off, now."

I turned to glare at her.

"It's been over two hours. Standing here, doing _nothing_, is getting old." I replied, grudgingly lifting myself up higher.

As much as I would have liked to ignore Sarasai's order, I knew that falling asleep whilst on watch was not a good thing to do.

Especially not when your betters are thieves.

"We're not doin' nothin'. We're on watch." Sarasai replied, before returning to her previous hobby, kicking a pebble between her feet.

I watched her for a moment, before I turned my face back to the road. We were perched behind a pile of boxes in an side alley, just around the corner from the Market. When attack time came, we were ordered to move to the alleyway itself, but since that time had yet to arrive, the most exciting thing that had happened was Sarasai and Graf's argument.

"Psst."

I whirled my head around, looking for the source of the noise. It might have been my imagination, but the atmosphere was suddenly tense and alert, and I swore I could feel the air _pulsing_ around me.

Though, I was possibly overtired. That could explain the 'heightened senses', or, as Sarasai would say 'cracknob speak'.

Finding nothing, I warily settled back into my position. Sarasai, now a few feet away from me, was completely absorbed in her pebble (some lookout, eh? ).

"Alenne!"

I stood up, this time certain I'd heard something. My senses were tingling, and I was on full alert.

"Who's there?" I called out into the darkness, my eyes flicking between Sarasai and the dark space in front of me.

"It's me."

A man suddenly materialised in front of me, like a curtain was pulled back.

"Jasson?" I said, staring at the face in front of me incredulously.

"Alenne." He said, his tone urgent.

He was clad in simple clothes, completely different from what he would usually wear. He looked every inch a merchant, not a prince.

"What are you doing here? How did you do that? And what are you wearing?" I said, looking him up and down, my mouth open in disbelief.

"I had to warn you. Jonthair, my uncle, he's searching for you. If he finds you, you're as good as dead. Escaping from the cells is as good as admitting you're a mage." He said, his face pale and drawn, worry etched into his brow.

"He won't find me." I said, a confidence I hadn't realised I had coming through.

"Jasson, you didn't answer my question. How did you just appear like that?" I asked, my mind instantly flicking to the mystery at hand.

"Magic." He replied, waving away my query with a brush of his hand.

"I found some old books in the library, hidden at the back. Sarasai can't hear or see me, by the way." He looked briefly to my friend, still absorbed in her pebbles, before turning back to me.

I looked at him for a minute, astounded that he had the audacity to practice magic barely a hair's width away from his Uncle.

"Did you come here dressed like a simpleton for any other reason than to tell me I'm in danger? I assure you, I can take care of myself!" I said, suddenly furious that he'd come all this way, risking his _own _life, at a time like this, simply to tell me something that was fairly obvious.

"There's more. Jonthair's sent the Provost on a mission to get rid of the rebel network." He said, stepping forward so that his face was half in shadow.

Something in my gut clenched. I had no reason, but I knew that something was wrong. Something was bad.

"I'm sure he'll have someone on the inside now, it's the Provost's style. If they're planning anything-"

My face, which had been growing steadily graver and was white with panic, turned, as did Jasson's, to the clock tower, which was now chiming.

_Ding._

"The Provost has someone in the Rogue?" I whispered urgently to Jasson.

If the attack was compromised...

_Ding._

"Yes. Alenne, they _are_ planning something, aren't they! You must stop them, if they get caught-"

_Ding._

Jasson was once again cut off by the chimes, but I was no longer listening. I had moved outside of Jasson's magic bubble, sprinting towards Sarasai and the alleyway's exit.

_Ding._

"Sarasai!" I whispered, barely able to contain my panic so that I didn't shout and blow our cover, and endanger us all.

_Ding._

"What?" She said, spinning around on her heel to face me.

_Ding._

"The Provost knows! They'll be here any second, I'm sure-"

_Ding._

"WHAT?" She exclaimed, her face now mirroring mine.

Panic.

_Ding._

We both sprinted down the alleyway towards the Market, and I didn't waste a second wondering about Jasson. He'd come of his own accord, he'd get back safely.

_Ding. _

I hope so, anyway.

_Ding. _

We approached the Market gates, preparing for a catastrophe.

Instead, we were surrounded by a mass of people, dressed in rags, covered in dirt, screaming, running down the alleyway.

Running towards freedom.

_Ding._

The Rogue had succeeded. The slaves had been freed.

We hadn't been captured.

Yet.

The roar of burning wood echoed behind us as we all sprinted for safety. Once the attack was finished, the Rogue had wasted no time in getting us back to the Court, to safety.

I had hurriedly explained, whilst running, the information I had received from 'a birdie', and he'd taken action.

The warning bells, for the guards, started sounding as we rounded Koskynen Street.

We all sped up.

* * *

The door banged closed behind the last thief, and cheering erupted.

All of us, foreigners, thieves, mages, slaves, we all cheered.

We had succeeded.

The revolution had begun.

King Jonthair's reign would soon come to an end, and I would live free of fear, free of danger.

"Alenne," The Rogue approached me, his hand on my shoulder, "You said the Provost has an insider informant, are you absolutely sure?" He said, his face, unlike those of everyone surrounding us, was grim.

"I wish I wasn't sure, Highness." I said, the momentary relief and celebration leaving me.

We had a rat.

"QUIET!" The Rogue called, and the room, as always, instantly fell under his command.

"I have just been informed that there is a betrayer among us." He said, pacing around the room, his eyes boring into each pair he met. He voice was low, threatening, reminding me of the reality of his position as Rogue, and the blood on his hands.

"Whoever you are, you have betrayed not only me, and everyone in this room, this revolution, this community, but yourself. You help those who oppress us, you work against a good cause. You will pay."

He motioned with his hands, and his guards wordless moved to the exits, stopping anyone from exiting.

We all stood completely still, riveted by the Rogue in his anger.

This night, originally one of joy, was now marred by betrayal.

It was then that the reality of what we were trying to do hit me. We were trying to change things to what we felt was better, but others would disagree. People would be hurt by what we did.

And that wasn't even bringing in the mages' struggle for freedom. That was simply Jonthair's oppressive rule and the uprising caused by it. Whilst I agreed with the Rogue's cause, it was then, looking at the terror in many a person's eyes, that I felt like perhaps, just perhaps, we had chosen the wrong path.

Was a peaceful reconciliation out of the question? Was a kind ruler, someone like Jasson, to far from the realm of possibility?

Would it be unreasonable for us to just...wait? Jonthair wouldn't live for ever, and I was convinced Jasson would be a better ruler. He was a _true_ descendant of King Jonathon, unlike his Uncle.

"NONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE HERE UNTIL THE BETRAYER HAS CONFESSED!" The Rogue shouted, and the room cowered.

Silence fell, and I saw many thieves eyeing their neighbours with distrust. This betrayal would change us forever. I had always seen the Court as a sort of family, everyone jolly and friendly, all willing to die for each other.

Of course, that wasn't true, but it took an event like this for me to realise the true nature of a thief.

Dishonest, selfish and greedy.

_Crash_.

"NO ONE MOVE! YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST BY ORDER OF THE-"

The group of guards, armed with swords, streaming through the now broken doors, appeared, and screaming broke out.

People ran in all directions, the Rogue was frozen in his spot, the centre of the room. The thieves guarding the doors were on the ground, surrounded by a pool of red.

Sarasai, who'd been next to me, was gone, slipping around a guard, twisting a knife into him as she went.

My eyes flicked to the Rogue, and his eyes met mine.

Panic.


	13. Battle Plans

**A/N:**

**A big thank you to all my reviewers out there, you are amazing!**

**Especially KarmaHope, who I think has possibly reviewed almost everything I've written at this point, thank you! Waking up to 3 lovely reviews inspired me to get cracking on some new chapters :P**

**And here I am...a month (i actually wrote most of this **_**ages**_** ago...but..well...) later, suffering from writer's block. Alas, the inspiration didn't last. But, eventually, I managed to churn this out.**

I stood frozen, my eyes locked onto the Rogue's. The guards were slowly pushing their way into the room, and I could see many a thief in hobbles.

Of course, there were a few, like Sarasai, who'd already made a run for it.

Suddenly, a burst of brownish red fire to my right erupted, making me, and everyone else in the vicinity, jump.

I glanced to my right; Hamrath was creating chaos with some simple magic fire. The guards had all frozen momentarily, apparently no one had warned them about the presence of mages.

"Move!" Sesha whispered, appearing out of nowhere beside me.

I did as she said, pushing my way through the struggling through, using purple fire of my own a few times, whenever a guard got too close.

"Come." Sesha said, as we approached the Rogue, and the three of us made our way to one of the hidden exits, Sesha with a knife in hand, and me with...well, fire in hand.

"Through here." The Rogue said, and we ducked through a false panel in the wall, into a dank, dark tunnel.

"Where does this go?" I asked, my purple light the only thing guiding us.

"Comes out in Flash District. We should be out of the search there." The Rogue replied, hurrying along the tunnel.

"Righ'near our inn." Sesha said from behind me.

"We will hide out there, then." The Rogue said, and conversation ceased after that.

The only sound for the next while was our feet, steadily taking us away from chaos, and towards safety, and our laboured breathing, evidence of our panic.

* * *

We stood in the dark room, not daring to light any lanterns in case someone thought to enter the room, and recognize us.

"D'you think th'others are alrigh'? Sesha asked, perched on a chair somewhere to my left.

"They'll be here. Yates and Hamrath will lead anyone they can find here, they know it's the safest option for us now. Except, perhaps, where you are staying, Alenne." He said, from his post guarding the door.

"There are others staying at my lodgings, and no alternative entrances." I replied quietly, my eyes gazing across the street outside. I was beside the window, on lookout for any of our peers.

"Meow."

My eyes widened; Blackie was perched on the windowsill, staring in at me with his indignant, purple eyes.

"Blackie!" I whispered back furiously, quickly pulling the troublesome cat inside.

_I thought you could do with my help._

I looked at the cat, before briefly glancing at Sesha and the Rogue. Neither of them showed any sign of having heard the cat, so I leant in closer, whispering.

"They can't here you, can they?" I said, under the pretence of patting Blackie.

_Not unless I will them to. That, however, is beside the point. I sense you need my assistance?_

I looked at Blackie, not really sure how big a task I could give a cat.

"If you find any thieves, or any of the mages, send them here." I said, keeping a wary eye on Sesha and the Rogue.

I was already an oddity, the purple eyed girl. I didn't need to be a cat-obsessed cracknob too.

_Anything else?_

I looked down at my cat, and only one other request could come to my mind.

"Find Jasson, and bring him here." I said, and with that, Blackie leapt onto the window ledge and was gone.

"That's an odd cat, that one." Sesha said, startling me.

"What'd you mean?" I asked warily.

"I'm a wild mage, or did ye forget that?" She said, and I glared at where I imagined she was (darkness really was a pain sometimes).

"I know that." I said, indignant.

"Well, then, I said tha'cat is odd. Powerful, but odd. Not like any other animal I've met."

I decided not to reply; Blackie certainly was an odd cat, if you could call him a cat at all, but I didn't really want Sesha delving into all that.

Really, I'd only just met her a few days previous. Who was to say I could trust her? She could be the betrayer, for all I knew.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I froze. _Anyone_ could be the betrayer. Though, it seemed highly unlikely that it was the Rogue, and Sesha, if she was the traitor, probably wouldn't have helped him.

So, I figured I was safe. For the time being, at least.

_Knock._

"Who is it?" Sesha whispered, peering through a crack in the door.

"Prince Jasson."

I stiffened, as I'm sure almost everyone in the small room did.

Us survivors had all gathered in the Sarain delegation's rooms, though so far all we'd determined was that the traitor had to pay, and the treatment of mages was justly unfair.

"What is your business here?" Hamrath asked, stepping up to the door, pushing Sesha out of the way.

Sesha, disgruntled, glared at his back before returning to leaning on the wall.

"I am an ally. I mean you no harm."

Hamrath, after considering for a minute, opened the door, and Jasson entered.

As he passed the threshold, the air shimmered, as it had when every other person entered.

Mages are a useful thing to have round, when it comes to warding meeting places.

"I brought someone with me, someone who is also an ally to our cause." Jasson said, with the air of the king he would (hopefully) one day become.

He was yet to be knighted, but he already could command the attention of a room with little effort. Realising that, I was intensely glad that he was on _our _side, not the other.

"Who?" Hamrath asked, peering around Jasson.

"I am the Lady Elenna. I possess the Sight, so I am in danger, just like all of you. I would like to help."

I gasped at her boldness. I had had _no _idea she possessed the Sight.

Elenna stepped into view, a hood partially obscuring her features. Hamrath, after quickly conversing with Yates and the Rogue, let her in as well.

Elenna, having passed the wards, swept her hood off, to reveal her face, smiling slightly.

I couldn't help but repress a scowl. For one, she had been concealing her Sight from everyone, including Jasson, judging by the look on his face, so she wasn't trustworthy.

Secondly, my gut had a bad feeling about her. Blackie seemed to agree, his tail had puffed up, and I swear his eyes were narrowing.

Strange cat.

Elenna gripped Jasson's forearm, and the two moved to stand beside one of the Rogue's rushers.

I was certain my face was red with anger, but I turned the other way, silently fuming but determined not to show it.

I suppose that was my natural reaction any time I had felt some strong emotions; hide it. A product of existing as a mage in an age of persecution, no doubt.

"I think we should begin by all revealing our true nature. Those of you who are thieves, stand with me. Mages, gather around Hamrath. Anyone else, by the door.

We may all be fighting against a common enemy, but we are by no means a united force, at least not yet." The Rogue said, clearly having thought about the course of action for the meeting.

Everyone moved around, with the majority standing with Hamrath, including Sarasai, who must have snuck in without me noticing.

The Sarain delegation, a few of the mages from the Market of Sorrows, a man I recognized from the Court, and myself stood with Hamrath.

Jasson and Elenna moved to the door. Jasson, apparently, didn't trust a room full of thieves enough to expose his secret.

Well, then. I guess _he's_ not the safest ally to have.

Though, to be fair, the chance that the traitor was standing amongst us _was_ fairly high.

"Alright. You all know where you stand." The Rogue said, from his place among the thieves.

"Obviously, we have some issues to discuss-"

"I'll say." Sesha mumbled bitterly, interrupting the Rogue.

The Rogue glared at Sesha, standing on my right, before continuing.

"As I was saying, we need to figure out who betrayed us. Each of you will speak for yourself, and then any who want to speak up on your behalf may do so. Prince Jasson, Lady Elenna, I exempt you from this, of course. The betrayer must be one of our own."

And so it went. For what felt like hours, we each had to prove our innocence. The Rogue himself spoke for me, so I was clear.

As the palace clock chimed one, we reached the end.

Every single person in the room was cleared, having convinced the Rogue of their innocence.

Which left all the mages and thieves not present as suspects. The Rogue, however, seemed to deem other matters of more importance.

"We have determined that the traitor is not present in this room. Because of other pressing issues, we need to discuss our future plans now. Everything discussed in this room stays between us, and us only. We are the new Court of the Rogue now."

I looked to Jasson to see how he took the mention of this 'other court', but he didn't even flinch.

And so it began.

The Rogue had each of the different groups represented lay out their ultimate goals for us all to see.

Some were obvious, such as the mages wanting to overthrow the oppressive regime and restore magic to the world (and to no longer be classed as criminals, but they didn't mention that).

Jasson, unsurprisingly, wants to overthrow his uncle to become King. He also made a promise to legalise magic, much to the excitement of the other mages.

I wasn't entirely sure if what he was suggesting was even possible. He'd mentioned that Jonthair had implemented new laws that prevented him from becoming King, which the Rogue promptly listed as a 'potential problem'.

Yes, just a _minor_ problem, that one.

The general consensus seems to be that we need to take control of Corus, first taking control of the Lower City, establish some power and gain numbers, and then take control of the palace.

Risky.

"It's too dangerous!" One thief was saying.

"We have no choice! We don't have any other options-"

"Ridiculous!"

"We'll all be killed!"

"SILENCE!" The Rogue bellowed, and the room instantly fell silent, eyes turning to the Rogue.

"We will gain control of the Lower City. That is not up for debate. I have been informed recently that Tortall will, very shortly, need all the power and magic it can get. Other nations, whilst they might outwardly despise magic, are using it to their own advantage, and, if we aren't careful, our nation could be in the midst of a very unfair war."

I felt a chill.

I'd heard whispers of such talk. The 'Triple Alliance', made up of the countries of Tusaine, Scanra and Galla.

Over the last decade, Tusaine had slowly been taking control of the Eastern regions, recently capturing Tyra.

If the Rogue was concerned, chances were that the rumours _were_ true, and magic was being used to gain power and territory.

And if that was true, Tortall, one of the largest kingdoms and quite a wealthy one, would be a next in line.

Was _that_ the real reason I was dreaming of legends?


	14. Shield

**A/N: Hello, all! I'd like to thank you all for sticking with my story so far (14 chapters now!)**

**This chapter marks the end of the first 'act', you could say, of this story. It is nowhere near finished, mind you. **

**The introduction portion of the story, however, is. Yes, 14 chapters of introduction, I know. However, you'll see after reading this that quite a lot of things come to a head, and we, and the characters, move on to the next phase of the plot. Instead of just talking about rebellion, things will actually happen. Quickly, I might add. **

**Enjoy, and, if you feel so inclined, leave a review!**

The streets were quiet, except for the scurry of our feet as we parted, running swiftly towards home, towards safety.

_I must say, you really are quite a recognisable human with that hair. _

I jumped, turning to glare at Blackie, who'd appeared out of nowhere.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I retorted, as we turned into Stuvek Street.

_Honestly, little one, it is only common sense that there are people looking for you. Did you _really_ think the Provost would let you slip away that easily?_

I stared after the arrogant cat as he entered the inn ahead of me, tail held high.

"What do you want me to do? Get a disguise?" I hissed angrily after him as we preceded up the stairs.

_Exactly_.

Disguise myself?

Really?

Is that _honestly_ what my life had come to? A few weeks ago, I was just another girl out in the country, with a strange affinity for battle skills and odd coloured eyes.

I tried, and failed, to come up with any suitable disguise ideas. By the time I'd brushed out my hair, my mind was completely and utterly blank.

_It's really not that hard._

I turned, once again, to glare at my cat.

"You think so? Well, then, why don't you tell me what you think I should do!"

I glared at Blackie, crossing my arms to complete the effect.

_It's simple. You've already been told how much you look like the Lioness. If that is true, surely her disguise would work for you?_

Of course. Why hadn't I thought of that?

It was beautifully simplistic. The whole palace guard would be looking for a red-headed girl with purple eyes, someone who stood out.

A red-headed boy, working runner jobs, was much easier to miss.

Males blend into the crowd, especially thin ones. As long as I kept my eyes down whenever I was near a guard...

* * *

"Did you know about this?"

Jasson turned the full force of the Conte eyes on his uncle, demanding answers.

"Of course not." Jonthair replied, scoffing slightly at the young prince's words.

Jasson didn't believe a word of it, of course.

"You're talking nonsense, Jasson." His mother cut in from her position at Jonthair's right.

"Indeed." Jonthair agreed.

"It's true! I'm sure you must know! How could you have kept me in the dark-"

He was cut off by the voice of a new comer.

"And how exactly did you come to be informed of this 'Triple Alliance'?"

Jasson spun around to see the Provost leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the scene.

"I...an informant told me." Jasson replied, hoping they wouldn't probe further. It wouldn't really be wise to let them know about the looming uprising in the Lower City, now, would it?

"Well, you must be misinformed." The Provost stated simply, moving to stand beside Queen Margaryte and Jonthair.

Jasson sighed. United they stood, and he wasn't capable of breaking them apart. He'd simply have to hope that the Triple Alliance wouldn't strike till he was on the throne.

"Perhaps. My informant isn't the most reliable around, I must admit." Jasson replied vaguely, bidding his leave and retreating to his chambers.

He paced up and down, his mind churning over the events of the night. It was hard to believe that the attack on the Market of Sorrows had been only hours ago.

There was one thing he hadn't mentioned in the meeting, something he thought might be able to save Tortall from the Triple Alliance, not to mention from its current rulers. He hadn't dared to mention it in front of the Court of the Rogue.

Most would dismiss it as a legend, laugh at him. There was only one person who had a hope of believing him.

With that in mind, he donned his cloak and left his chambers, his mind full with thoughts of the Dominion Jewel.

* * *

_Snip. _

Another chunk of red hair floated down on the desk, joining the large pile. I looked up at my reflection in the glass, barely recognizable.

It was strange to realise just how much of a difference hair can make. Without my long tresses, my face appeared thinner, my eyes bigger, my figure skinnier. I looked like a young boy, instead of a female mage, hunted by the crown and (possibly) the heir to a Book of Gold noble.

Not that any of that had been confirmed, or was likely to be given the current climate. Until the rebellion was over, I was fine with putting all thoughts of my rightful lineage out of my mind. Once Jasson was King that would be much simpler to deal with.

_I have a message for you._

I jumped, nearly cutting my ear off in the process.

"Blackie!" I scolded, placing the scissors down on my desk and turning to face my devious cat.

_Oh, stop complaining. You're fine. _

I scoffed at that. Whilst I _was_ fine, it had been a rather close call. I have no desire to be minus an ear, thank you very much.

_The Rogue wants you to visit the stable hand, tell him to use his contacts within the Bazhir. _

Having delivered the message that he'd somehow picked up from the Rogue, Blackie trotted off, tail high.

Bloody constellations.

I glanced at my reflection one more time, before throwing my cloak on (over an outfit now appropriate for a servant boy) and heading out.

It was middle of the night, and I was called on an errand. Clearly I'd done something to offend the Gods.

* * *

Prince Jasson hurried down the slope to the stables, a hooded cloak covering his head. A figure appeared before him in the darkness, startling him.

"You Highness."

The figure lifted its hood, revealing the face of Lady Elenna, who nodded respectively to him. Jasson smiled slightly at his companion.

"What are you doing all the way out here at this hour?" He inquired, as she fell into step beside him, heading in the direction of the palace stables and the gate to the city.

"I couldn't sleep. I want to help, but I can't think of anything I can do!" Elenna said, frustrated.

Jasson smiled wryly.

"As do I." He replied, stopping in the shadow of an old tree, Elenna doing likewise.

"Of course you can help; the entire rebellion is based around you." She said, confident in the Prince's abilities.

"All I'm doing is waiting for the rebellion to take place, and then I'll claim the throne. I'm not more actively involved than you are, at the moment at least." Jasson said with a sigh.

"At the moment?" Elenna inquired, her eyebrows raised.

Jasson hesitated, doubting her loyalty. In such times, one could never be certain who was trustworthy.

However, she seemed innocent. She'd saved a boy from slavery, he'd been told.

"I want to try and find the Dominion Jewel. It's real, I know it is. I just have no idea _where_ it is."

"Well…." Elenna said, her face hidden in shadow.

"I think I can help. I have the Sight, I can detect traces of magic, I might be able to find it."

Jasson looked at her, the darkness of the night obscuring both of their vision slightly.

It was there, in the shadows cast by an old oak, in the early hours of the morning, that a part of me was shattered.

I watched, hidden behind the stable door, as words were exchanged, watched as Elenna placed her hand compassionately on Jasson's arm, watched as he leant forward, his lips capturing hers.

I didn't, however, see what happened after that. I didn't let myself stay. I ran, having already delivered my message, fuelled by a jealousy.

Jasson….Jasson and _Elenna._

The mere thought of it made me sick.

It also confused me. I couldn't quite understand _why_ I felt this way. I didn't have feelings for Jasson, surely not.

He was a _prince_, after all. He was going to be _king_ if everything went according to plan.

And I? Who was I, exactly? I may have been Alanna's descendant, but I couldn't _really _prove it. The bunch of papers I had only said so much. They could be destroyed easily enough.

Arriving at the inn to find it deserted (it was the middle of the night, after all) and with no Blackie in sight, I pulled out said papers in frustration, throwing them down on my mattress.

I was a pawn in the God's grand game. Alanna told me what to do, and I did it. No questions asked. It was probably another part of this 'game' that decided to play with my emotions like this!

They all wanted me to be obedient and act out whatever role they threw at me. They wanted me to be the noblewoman and mage.

What, exactly, did I want?

I wanted to be _allowed_ to do magic, that much was true. I was, at least, fighting for the right side. I wanted to be happy, and for my loved ones to be happy.

I wanted Jasson. As much as I tried to deny it, I couldn't lie to myself any longer.

_That_ was the real issue. I'd never abandon the rebellion, I believed in all the rebels stood for. After all, I was (apparently, at least, for reason I didn't really know or understand) a critical piece in all this.

Yet I'd give anything for him to treat me like that, to kiss me like he'd kissed Elenna. Goddess, if it had been him, not Graf who'd kissed me in that alleyway yesterday.

Was it really only yesterday? So much had changed in just a few hours…

"Alenne!"

I whirled around to see the object of my confusion and rage standing in my doorway, out of breath.

_What _in Mithros' name was he doing here?

"I had an idea, if we find the Dominion Jewel-"

I let loose. All my pent up anger towards him came flying out of me, in the form of a jet of purple light streaming from my palm. It would have knocked him backwards (and quite possibly down the stairs too), but he'd deflected it.

Clearly I wasn't the only one who'd been practicing.

His shining blue shield deflected my purple stream of light, which was sent careening into my wall, leaving a nasty scorch mark the landlady would no doubt complain about later.

"What was that for?" He said indignantly, his shield fading.

I glared at him, my hands clenched into fists and my vision red.

"I saw you, kissing her!"

Once I'd said it, I wanted to take it back. I could see his face go from confused, to recognition. He knew now. He knew how I felt.

"Alenne…"He said, clearly startled.

I can't say I blame him for that. _I'd_ been shocked to realise that I…that I…felt _something_ for him.

He couldn't look me in the face. He glanced around the room, clearly trying to think of something to say. My cheeks grew progressively redder, my anger abating now that I was in his presence.

I don't know why, but I couldn't stay mad at him. I had no claim over him. I shouldn't be angry at him, or even Elenna.

I should be angry at myself. I was being childish. Much bigger things were at stake than my heart.

"What's that?"

I looked up to see his gaze resting on the pile of papers still on my bed, the family tree and the documents that proved who I was.

I quickly waved my hand, blowing the papers out of sight under my dresser.

"Was that proof of your ancestry?" He asked, his eyes now on my face once again.

I think I preferred fighting about my feelings.

"No." I said bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It is, isn't it?" He said, taking a step forward.

"Alenne, those papers could change everything for you! If you were recognized as a noble, we could work together to-"

"No." I said flatly.

"I don't need to be a _noble_ to change things. You have Elenna for that, anyway." I said, stepping closer to him, my anger quickly returning.

"There are bigger things happening than proving that I'm Alanna's descendent. It's not important, Jasson!" I said, my voice rising.

His eyes narrowed.

"Don't you understand how it would help people to be reminded of the legend of Alanna? To prove that you're her descendant would prove that she existed, the people would rally behind us, no questions asked!" He retorted, his voice also growing louder.

"I don't care! It won't happen, not with Jonthair on the throne!" I yelled, pushing against his chest, pushing him outside my door. As soon as he'd passed the threshold, my door slammed shut seemingly of its own accord, the crackle of magic present in the air.

I collapsed on the dusty floor, tears steadily rolling down my cheeks.

I must have fallen asleep.

That's the only explanation of why Alanna the Lioness would be standing in my room at the inn.

"It took you long enough to fall asleep." She scolded, moving to lean against the wall.

"How did you deal with….with all this?" I asked, not crying anymore, instead just filled with a deep sense of despair and loneliness.

And a slight bit of hopelessness about my future in romance.

"With relationships?" She guessed correctly, her gaze knowing.

"I was disguised as a boy for years, Alenne. During that time, I had my fair share of problems, particularly with Jon. I learnt to shut it all out, to shield myself from certain emotions. I may have been cold, yes, but it helped at times. I was lucky, in the end, with George. You'll get there one day."

It must have been something in the dream, but I didn't act hysterical, burst into tears, throw spheres of purple light around or yell at anybody. Instead, I was logical.

"Jasson mentioned something, before I yelled at him, about the Dominion Jewel." I said, only just remembering what it was he'd actually come to talk to me about.

Not that he'd gotten around to saying whatever it was he was going to anyway.

"What is it? Will it help?" I asked, looking to my ancestress for guidance, like always.

Alanna frowned slightly, mulling over my questions.

"The Dominion Jewel," She started, pushing off the wall and assuming Lioness mode, standing proud and, well, not really tall, but you get the idea.

"The Dominion Jewel is used only be those who are natural born rulers. In my time, that was Jon. They can be either of good nature, or evil, but for both there is a cost to pay. Tortall suffered a famine for several years after Jon saved Corus from his uncle. The principle behind it, as with all magic, is that the energy must come from somewhere. The same will be true if you decide to use it against Jonthair, or the Triple Alliance. It may help, but beware that there are consequences."

I took that in.

"So do you think I should try and find it?" I asked, seeking her opinion. Whatever she said was ultimately the only thing I could trust. What Alanna the Lioness decided was what happened, no questions asked.

"That is for you to decide." She replied.

Great.

I _hate_ making decisions.

"For now, however, I've decided that it's time you learned how to fight."

I gaped at her. Fight? Me?

I may be her descendant, but that didn't mean I had any of her skills.

She threw a wooden staff at me (which I'm pretty sure she hadn't been holding earlier…dreams are such strange things), keeping one for herself.

"Eventually, I'll give you that. You'll need it soon, I'm afraid." She said, pointing to the shield that had appeared on the wooden table in the corner, bearing a Lioness rampart.

And just like that, I let go of my emotional baggage, working out my frustration in my training with Alanna. I might have some feelings for Jasson, but I did not have to act on them. The important thing was taking control of the Lower City, and, eventually, getting rid of Jonthair. After we did that, we could focus on the larger threat of the Triple Alliance.

And then we might have a chance of restoring the Golden Age.


	15. The Hard Decisions

**A/N: Ack, I'm sorry! It's been….a while. But, it is here. Chapter 15. Yeah. It's a bit of a filler chapter (though several new characters are introduced), but, never fear, something DRASTIC is going to happen in chapter 16. Really, really drastic. **

**Yes. **

**Read :D**

The wind whipped through the deserted market, chilling me to the bone. I drew my cloak closer to my body, my newly short hair hanging into my eyes in an annoying way. I walked as quickly as I could to the inn, my arms sore with the weight of the weapons I was carrying.

In our latest training session, Alanna had suggested I 'acquire' some weapons of my own to practice with outside of dreams. I had my knives and the skills for street fighting, but proper battle weapons were another deal entirely.

Hence why I now had quite a few 'samples' from the palace armoury, courtesy of my friend the stablehand. I'm not entirely sure how he'd acquired a staff, a practice wood sword, a real (though admittedly old and blunt) sword, and a bow, but I knew enough to not ask.

I entered the inn with some difficulty, nearly dropping the practice sword in the process, only to hear the voice of the landlady.

How was I going to explain my armful of weapons?

"Alenne, is that you?"

I turned slowly, ignoring the steadily growing ache in my arms.

"Yes." I said slowly, waiting for the landlady to appear.

When she did, she was followed by a man I'd only met once, but whose face would forever stay in my memory. It was the man who'd first told me to go to Corus and find an inn, to offer the package he'd given me to her in exchange for a room.

"I believe you've met my son before, Alenne?"

I stared between them, the resemblance, now that I was aware of it, was uncanny.

"You're…he's….what?" I finally managed to get out, my mouth hanging open.

As much as the resemblance was obvious, it was hard for me to imagine the landlady _having_ a son, let alone that son being instrumental in my current fate.

The son chuckled slightly, obviously amused at my reaction. I, was not, as my arms were slowly losing feeling.

"It is nice to see you again, Alenne." The son said, his eyes taking in the pile of weapons in my arms, but not commenting on them.

"Oh, also, Alenne, I believe this," the landlady waved a slightly dirty piece of paper in my face, "should be with the other pages of the Trebond family tree."

With that revelation (there was more to the family tree? Who knew?) she dumped the paper on top of my already overflowing arms, and retreated to the kitchen with her son in tow.

Whose name I still didn't know.

Groaning to myself, I trudged up the stairs to my rooms, dumping the weapons on the floor as soon as possible.

_You might want to watch where you put those things._

Blackie, just as contrary as always.

"Well, you should watch where you put _yourself_ when I'm in a temper." I replied, ignoring the fact that my retort didn't make all that much sense.

Instead of jibing me like I assumed he would, Blackie merely stuck his tail in the air and left. Temperamental cat.

Sitting down on my wonderfully comfortable bed, I scanned the piece of paper I'd just received. It didn't take long for my mouth to hang open once again. It seemed that the existing family tree I had was only relating to Alanna and George's first son, Thom, and his descendants. The new information I had was of Alianne, the youngest of Alanna's children, and her descendants.

That, however, was not what had made my mouth drop open, no. I was beginning to think that absolutely everyone around here was related to some legend or another from Alanna and King Jonathon's time.

You see, it turns out that there are _other_ descendants of the long lost line of Trebond. None other than…the landlady, and her son (whose name, according to this, was Brian).

I couldn't help but smugly note that I, as the descendant of the first born son, and his first born son and so on, was the only one who could inherit the Trebond name and fortune. The landlady and Brian were of a considered a different family under the current laws.

I stashed the paper away with all the others, feeling rather slighted that the landlady hadneglected to mention she was technically related to me. Honestly, the nerve of some people.

Though, I suppose it was very _distantly_ related. And I was the only one who looked exactly like Alanna the Lioness, anyway.

Speaking of her, why hadn't _she_ told me about this? I suppose I'd have yet another bone to pick with her later, along with the intensity of my slightly ridiculous training scheme.

* * *

"How do I look?"

The servant girl, wary of her mistress, enthusiastically replied in the affirmative, sighing slightly when a smile appeared on Lady Elenna's face.

"Good. I can't have a hair out of place tonight, everything must be absolutely perfect." She regarded her reflection, brushing off imaginary dust from the expensive blue gown.

"My lady, we must get going, or-"

"Yes, yes, I know. Help me into my cloak, will you?"

Lady Elenna was not normally the type to outwardly show impatience, but tonight, throughout the carriage ride and the normal formalities associated with functions, she fidgeted like a common merchant.

"Why, Lady Elenna, you seem on edge." Duchess Daniella said, approaching the lady.

"I am merely awaiting the main dish, I heard it is expected to be delicious." Elenna replied evasively, barely able to keep her eyes from roaming the room for him.

He took his time, but when he made his appearance, the room was captivated. Elenna herself gasped at the sight of him, the blue of his eyes brought out by the material of his tunic. It was only a wry glance from Lady Catherine, someone she considered an ally at court, which made her realise openly fawning over the prince at a dinner was _not_ the proper way of conducting oneself.

The meal passed slowly, lavish course after lavish course brought out. Elenna waited for his eyes to flicker towards her, but they never did. Her cheeks slowly burned red with rage, who was he to ignore her after what had happened?

It had been a _week_ and she hadn't caught a glimpse of him. And now, at this event when she was _sure _he'd say something, he wasn't sparing her a glance.

Men.

* * *

Further up the table sat Lord Thomson, gazing out the palace window at the rain bearing down, thoughts, once again, plagued by the crime in the Lower City.

It took a small cough from the servant at his elbow to draw his attention back.

"Yes?" He asked curtly, turning slightly to face the servant.

"I have a message for you, my lord. It was dropped off for you, don't know from who, but they said it was a matter of utmost importance, something to do with the Lower City and the Prince." The servant muttered, quiet enough that no one else noticed.

Those words alone were enough to spark Thomson's interest. He held out his hand, and a rather ragged piece of paper was dropped into it. After pressing a small coin into the servant's waiting hand, he excused himself from the feast.

No one would miss him, and it only took one glance from him for Jonthair to know that the matter was important and concerned their most favourite member of the royal household.

Once he was in the safety of his chambers, he opened the note, smiling slightly at the sight of his informant's handwriting. This particular informant was a most useful one, certainly very ambitious. A new piece of information was enough to brighten his day.

However, unlike the usual feeling of elation when he discovered the next step in the rebel's plans, this particular note left him feeling rather empty. It was not completely unexpected, he supposed, but rather disappointing. They had had such hopes for Jasson.

* * *

"Rebels! We have some new arrivals joining us!" The Rogue roared over the babble of noise in the small room.

Quickly, we all fell silent, eyeing the foreigners standing beside the door.

"The mages of the Bazhir have decided to join us. As they are still under the rule of Tortall, they feel it is their duty."

The Bazhir inclined their heads, looking very out of place in their light hoods amongst the fur-clad Tortallans.

"We also have a visitor with us. She has consented to help out with our current task," The Rogue said, over craning necks as we all tried to look past the tall Bazhir, "the Shang Griffin."

A lady, not much taller than me, stepped out, smiling slightly at all of us gathered here.

"Where is Alenne?" She asked, her voice ringing out into the silence.

Really?

Really? A Shang warrior arrives here, and the first thing she does is ask for _me_? Am I that renowned?

I stepped forward, feeling the weight of the thieves' eyes on my back as I did so.

"Ah. Yes, they were right, you do look extraordinarily like her." She said, taking in my appearance.

I was getting used to people doing that, but it was still rather annoying.

"They?" I enquired, my eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. You can never be too careful when planning an uprising, I suppose.

"Oh, a past Shang Warrior visited me, told me to head to Corus. Apparently the future of our world is at stake." She said with a smile, and I suppressed a groan.

There were quite a lot of times when I wished someone _else_ was the descendant of the Lioness, that someone else was playing whatever role I was playing in this uprising (I had an inkling I was going to become the figure head, as the descendant of the Lioness, I would naturally garner the respect and adoration of the population, but that had yet to be confirmed) and that someone else would have several different legends visiting their dreams and directing people to them.

Mostly, I just wanted to live _my_ life, not live a life ruled by the gods.

_Once this is all over, you will. _

I couldn't help but spin around and glare at Blackie.

_Lady Alanna had much the same issues, I'm sure she's told you about the time she spent with the Bazhir-_

I picked him up abruptly, cutting of his rant. I'd figured out that he never stopped talking about certain things (mainly the Lioness) unless I physically stopped him from talking.

"Cora here will train with you for a while, Alenne." The Rogue said to me, before turning back to the rest of the room.

I stayed put, Blackie on my shoulder and the Shang Griffin at my left. Alanna could have at least mentioned that a _Shang_ was coming to train with me.

She tells me absolutely nothing these days.

"As you all know, we need to take control of the Lower City if we are to have any hope of bringing magic back to Corus, and reinstating things. It has been decided that we will attack the day before Midwinter." The Rogue said, his voice naturally drawing the attention of us all.

The day before Midwinter? That was less than a moon away. Surely we wouldn't be attacking so soon.

"It is soon, but we will be ready. We must be ready."

Sarasai, appearing out of nowhere much like Graf usually did, murmured to me.

"Aye we must, else we be dead." She said, her face dark.

Yes, yes we would. I cast a glance at the Shang Griffin, having a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, my fighting abilities would be sufficient by then.

Though, if I was ready to fight, I'd also be ready to find the Dominion Jewel, if I wanted to. If we were taking the Lower City by Midwinter, I'd need to make up my mind fairly soon, we'd need it to progress to the next stage.

Without it, we would fail, almost surely. But the price for using the Dominion Jewel?

I sighed, feeling once again weighed down by fate. Whilst most of my decisions' were made by the gods, at least of late, this one rested solely on me. What point is there in being the doppelganger of a legend if you still had to make the hard decisions?

**So, thoughts? What did the informant tell the Provost? Who are all these new people? In this chapter I was trying to get across some of the emotion Alenne's dealing with, as well as giving a bit of depth to Elenna. Not the most exciting chapter, but necessary for character development. **


	16. The End of the Tether

"What's going on this time?" Alanna said, stifling a yawn as Kel, Jon, Daine and George appeared one by one.

"Obviously something important or we wouldn't all be here." Kel replied, impatiently waiting for the Goddess to arrive.

"Did Alenne ask you about the Dominion Jewel?" Jonathon asked, his eyes not meeting hers.

"Yes." Alanna replied, warily, knowing at a glance that Jon was hiding something.

"What is it, Jon? What did you do?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"_I_ didn't do anything! They decided all on their own that the Jewel would help, and since Jasson hasn't spoken about it, or anything else for that matter, I thought yours might have." Jon replied huffily.

_Clearly_ he was in a bad mood this morning.

Alanna, about to retort with the full force of the Lioness temper, stopped at the feeling of George's hand on her elbow.

"Not now, lass." He murmured, and she sighed, backing down.

"Have you stopped bickering now, children?" The Goddess said, choosing that precise moment to make her appearance.

They didn't reply, instead waiting for her to tell them exactly why they were there.

"Keladry, I have a task for you. Tell Lady Elenna it is time for her to locate the Dominion Jewel." She stated, waving Kel on her way with her pale hand.

Once Kel was gone, the Goddess turned to the others.

"You all must be on the lookout. Everything will come to a head shortly, and any one of your charges may break. Help them all you can."

She turned to leave, pausing slightly as she passed George.

"Oh, also, it may be time to enlighten the future Rogue a little. She may have an important task to complete soon." She said, before disappearing.

"Is that really all she called us here to say? Honestly?" Alanna grumbled, her annoyance mirrored on Jon's face.

George, rolling his eyes behind his wife's back, took her arm and disappeared, leaving Daine and Jon, who both sighed and left promptly as well. It was taking a toll on everyone, this quest.

* * *

"Ye look like death." Sarasai remarked, grabbing yet another apple, green this time, from a unsuspecting stall.

"I _feel_ like death. I've just come from training with the Shang Griffin." I replied, grimacing slightly as my muscles recalled the session. It seemed that all I did these days was get beaten to a pulp, and then get ordered to do it all over again.

Rather like being a page or a squire, so I've heard.

"Well, would ye like me to take ye mind offa things?" She said around the apple.

"Why not." I replied shortly, looking for any distraction from my aching (and battered, bruised and overworked) muscles.

"George Cooper visited m'dreams last night again. 'Parently, I'll soon have a 'task of great importance' to do. Exciting, eh?" She said, grinning at me, bits of apple in her teeth.

I rolled my eyes before replying as we rounded into Stuvek Street.

"So they're manipulating you, now, too." I replied, my near-constant rage at the gods and the legends bubbling to the surface.

It wasn't that I disrespected them, not at all. I just felt that they should leave _my_ life alone, at least for a moment. Sure, we were planning a great attack, but it wasn't happening at the moment. Did they really need to monitor my physical training so closely? Or give Sarasai vague future predictions? I seriously doubted it.

"S'not that bad. I don't mind some of it, like, say knowin' I'm going t'be the Rogue." Sarasai said, before heading off to the Sarain delegation's inn and the Rogue's new headquarters to report for runner duty, whilst I headed inside the inn to do my scheduled magic training.

Yes, Alanna had threatened me with push-ups if I didn't do the training. Blackie was, apparently, a very good spy when it came to my education.

Locked in my room, I watched, my mind slightly detached, as the wind I'd created blew my belongings around the room, stirring up the skirts of the one dress still hanging out. The rest of my clothes, all male to coordinate with my new disguise, looked odd in my room, out of place set near such feminine objects as a hair comb.

Not that I had any use for the comb anymore, but it still kept its place on the chest, a small reminder that I was, in fact, a girl, despite what my appearance might tell the outside world.

Drawing my mind back to the task at hand, I conjured a ball of purple light, watching it as I sent it on a path around my room. Sighing, I let it fade into my palm when it returned to me. The novelty of being able to do magic had worn of now, it was becoming a burden. Especially with the current laws, but that would, hopefully, all change soon.

Midwinter was fast approaching, with it our deadline for the uprising in the Lower City. A week remained, and so far all we'd accomplished was an increase in our numbers. Which was helpful, I suppose, but not entirely encouraging. I hadn't seen Jasson at all, his Ordeal was approaching as well, as tradition was for the crown prince to take his ordeal on Midwinter.

As far as I knew, everything was on track for us to take control of the Lower City on the eve of Midwinter, leaving everything open for Jasson to take his Ordeal, be crowned King and then, somehow, I would kill Jonthair.

Nobody but me knew that part of the plan (well, except for Alanna and probably half of the immortal realms), and I wasn't planning on sharing my private plans to basically become an assassin. It scared me a little, to think of it like that, but it was that fear that spurred me on in my training. I _had_ to be able to take down Jonthair. There was no way Jasson would be able to kill his own Uncle, it was up to me.

That was my role here, my only clear role, anyway. At least Alanna had shared that much with me.

* * *

Lady Elenna hurried quickly through the empty hallways of the palace, quietly approaching the treasury. It might have been the most obvious place, too obvious, but when looking for a precious jewel, one should at least _check_ the treasury.

However, upon approaching, she couldn't sense any strong magic in the area, nor could she when she opened the heavy wooden door just to check. Sighing, despite not really having expected to find anything, she departed for the upper floors, to brain storm new, better, hiding places for the Dominion Jewel, stirring up the dust on the barely used stone floor as she left.

* * *

I almost jumped out of my skin when someone knocked on my door. Hastily returning all my objects to their original places, and hiding my dress, I pulled the door open, exposing Graf.

He grinned widely at me, entering my room without waiting for permission.

"Where have you been?" I asked, ever suspicious of him. He was Sarasai's brother, after all. Crooked behaviour ran in the family.

"Around." He replied vaguely, his eyes sweeping over my room quickly, taking the few belongings that were there in.

"Nice view." He said, pointing out the window.

It wasn't really a nice view, quite an average one for this street, but I smiled in agreement anyway.

"What do you want?" I asked, since he didn't seem likely to tell my straight out himself.

"I kissed ye." He said bluntly, turning to face me.

I couldn't help but suppress a shudder.

"Yes." I replied warily, taking half a step back out of sheer self-preservation.

He just looked at me, clearly waiting for me to say something. What, though, I had no idea.

"Er…I don't really want to kiss you again, if that's what you were wondering." I said, trying to read his expression.

"Oh. Okay then. Would be a bit odd since ye are dressed like a cove." He said, his usual grin, so like Sarasai's, back in place.

With that, he loped out of my room, shutting the door with a slight thud behind him.

That was possibly the oddest thing that had happened to me in a while. Graf was most definitely an interesting character, that much I could determine. What exactly he felt for me, why he'd kissed me, what he'd been doing for the past few days, well, they were mysteries that would probably never get solved.

I gathered my cloak, checking myself over once to make sure that I looked appropriately like a cove, and left to join Sarasai at the inn with the Rogue.

Unfortunately for me, Lady Elenna was heading to the inn as well, and I, by some awful twist of fate, ended up a few paces behind her and her maid for the trip. I stayed back, preferring to eavesdrop on their conversation than have to talk to her, after she'd kissed….him.

I quickly focused in on their conversation to distract myself from depressing notions, noting that I was turning into more of a thief every day. Now I was eavesdropping, I'd already been put in the cages; soon I'd be committing outright theft.

"Oh, he's simply wonderful. It's everything I've ever wanted, and more. In the midst of all this chaos, and I manage to find love." Elenna was saying, no doubt with a sappy smile on her face.

Her words were enough to cause bile in my mouth, and apparently in her maid's as well, judging by the sour look on her face. Not wanting to subject myself to anymore, lest Elenna start reciting sonnets about _his_ eyes, I quickly doubled back on myself.

I stood at the edge of the Daymarket, with nowhere to go, yet almost limitless possibilities. No one would miss me for an hour, surely. Sarasai could cover for me with the Rogue, I'd just say I had important Alanna-related duties to attend to. And, dressed as a boy, I could go anywhere with much more freedom than I could as a girl. No one would question me.

It was with that resolution in mind that I set out towards the gates, deciding that I deserved a little holiday.

Albeit a brief one it would be, but still, a holiday from training, Rogue duties, dealing with the _feelings_ I kept ignoring…all of it.

It was highly unlikely that anything disastrous would happen whilst I was away, and even if it did, I highly doubted that it would require my services. Apparently, all I was good for was killing the King and looking like a dead legend.

I had boots on my feet, a full waterskin, and open country surrounding Corus that I could freely explore. For the first time since arriving in Corus, I could act like the country gixie (well, technically I now appeared as a cove, but still) I had been, and enjoy my surroundings.

Briefly, yes, I know.

* * *

"It appears you have been hiding things from me, Jasson."

The Provost appeared in the doorway to the prince's chambers, a fateful piece of paper clutched in his hand.

"You must be mistaken." Jasson replied, not looking up from the manuscript he was studying.

"No, I don't think I am." Thomson retorted, moving past Jasson's grand bed with the royal blue cover, seating himself in the wooden chair across from Jasson.

"Read this." He said, passing the piece of paper across the table between them, resting it on top of the manuscript.

Jasson, clearly annoyed at the interruption, scanned the note briefly, paling as he did so.

"Who sent you this? It is obviously false-" He started, standing up pointing to the note accusatorially.

"A trusted informant. Someone I trust much more than you, incidentally." Thomson said, a hint of a smug smile appearing on his face, a look that caused Jasson's stomach to tighten uneasily.

"Guards." Thomson whispered, snapping his fingers.

Within a blink, Jasson found himself with a guard at each side, completely helpless.

"Prince Jasson, I arrest you for the crimes of conspiring against Your Highness, King Jonthair, and partaking in traitorous activies, including the planning of an uprising." Thomson recited, his voice pompous.

"Jonthair will be down to see you shortly. There's another charge that he wanted to address personally." Thomson said, making to effort to hide his triumphant smirk now as Jasson was escorted to the cells.

It would all be over soon. The rebellion would be ended, Jasson would be put in his rightful place, and order would be restored. No one could save Jasson now, unless they were the Lioness of King Jonathon reincarnate.

Which, Thomson thought to himself confidently, was completely impossible. Despite the disappearance of that red-headed idiot of a mot, everything was fine. No one could possibly help the prince now, or help the rebellion. It would take a very powerful mage to be able to break into the cells, let alone get into the palace undetected.

It was lucky, Thomson mused, that all the powerful magical families had died out. It made things a lot easier.

* * *

The Goddess couldn't help but scream as she saw Prince Jasson dragged into the cells, looking utterly distraught. He had a right to, everything was going to rot. They needed Alenne. She could fix this, release the Prince, kill Jonthair, and they could have the Lower City by the afternoon.

But, no, according to Alanna, her little descendant had _disappeared_. She'd picked a fine moment to do so, somehow succeeding in shielding herself from the gods view.

The Goddess, seething with rage that her plan was falling in a heap, called everyone she could think of to meet, deciding that sheer force would find Alenne, as all else had failed.

**A/N: Two updates in one day! What is this?**

**Anyway, feel free to drop me a review with your thoughts. **


	17. Revelations

**A/N: Third update in three days! Woooo! I'm on a roll :P **

**Reviews are always loved!**

"The Prince has been imprisoned!" A mot whispered to her companion as they bought a bun at a stall in the Daymarket, their eyes alight with gossip.

"Whatever for?" Her companion replied, her eyes wide.

"Apparently, he tried to kill the King, and is conspiring with the thieves to take down the Lord Provost, all so he can become King, because of that new law that was passed, it delays the process. According to Eliza, who's a maid for the Queen, you know, he's mighty annoyed about that, since he would've been crowned on Midwinter if the law didn't exist." She whispered hurriedly, to a gasp from her friend.

Sarasai, eavesdropping from her place leaning against a wall, munching an apple as always, rolled her eyes. Gossip in the market was generally not reliable, but that titbit was utterly _ridiculous_. Prince Jasson wasn't trying to kill the King; that was completely false. He might be angry, but they all were these days. As for his imprisonment, well, the King would only imprison his nephew if it was absolutely necessary. Say, if he found out that the Prince was conspiring with the rebels, then that would warrant his imprisonment.

But that, of course, wouldn't happen between now and Midwinter. All their tracks were well covered.

Little did Sarasai know, that Prince Jasson _was_ in fact imprisoned, as the gossipers had said. However, his crimes were not quite as extreme as they had made out.

Jasson, sitting with his back resting against the uneven rock wall of the cell, sighed, tired of waiting for his Uncle to come down. Ever since Thomson had said that his Uncle had another bone to pick with him, he'd been on edge. He wasn't entirely sure how long he'd been stuck in the small, and rather smelly, cell, but it felt like an age.

And he had no hope of getting out until word got to the rebels. Even then, it seemed unlikely. It had taken a miracle to get Alenne out of a much less secure cell. It was almost definite that a plan concocted by the rebels wouldn't succeed in even getting within five feet of him; the security had been tightened that much since Alenne's escape.

It would take magic. How, though, would he be able to get a message to Alenne telling her he needed her help? Would she even listen? She was certainly angry with him.

Fair enough, he supposed, since she had feelings for him. Not that she _openly_ admitted that, but it had been plain on her face. He couldn't quite shake the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he pictured her then, completely dejected, angrily screaming at him about Elenna. He felt like he'd lost something precious, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

As for Elenna, well, she was irritating him that much he was sure of. She'd been trying to catch him all week, but he'd deftly avoided her. She was acting just like many of the other court women, all anxious to be the one to woo him. What would it take for them to realise that he wouldn't be simply wooed?

Sighing again, and shifting against the uncomfortable stone, the straw on the ground scratching into his, now ruined, breeches, he pulled the stone Jonathon had given him out of his pocket, turning it around and around in his hand. It was pure chance that he'd been carrying it when they'd brought him down to the cells, but he was glad he had it. It made him feel like he had a shred of power, that he still had once last weapon against his Uncle.

He grasped the stone tightly, and prayed to Mithros that somehow Alenne would figure out that he was imprisoned, and come to his rescue. He prayed that she'd be _able_ to break him out; that she'd even want to.

He prayed for her forgiveness, and for something else. A desire hidden in his heart so deep that he almost missed it. It was only when he pictured her, slamming her door in his face a few weeks ago, her face red with anger that it came to the surface.

He wanted her love.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he gasped, partly because of the revelation which now was undeniable. _That_ was the real reason he'd been avoiding Elenna and all she represented. He didn't want her, or anyone else. He wanted the red-headed enigma, no matter that she was dressed as a boy and had a temper to rival Alanna the Lioness's.

He gasped, not only because of that, but because the stone in his grasp was glowing a bright blue. It pulsed with life, much like it had the day he met Alenne. He watched as it slowly faded, and hoped that it meant someone had heard his wish, and that he would be saved.

He knew if he remained here he wouldn't live long. If Thomson knew he was conspiring with the rebels, the leap to his being able to magic wasn't far off. And once Thomson knew, Jonthair would, and he would be as good as dead.

* * *

"No!" Sarasai exclaimed, struggling to refrain from laughing at the expression on Sesha's face.

"S'not true, just market gossip." She said, shaking her head at the ridiculous situation.

Apparently the Sarain delegation had been sucked in by the gossip about Prince Jasson. Foreigners and city customs, always good for a laugh.

"It is! The stablehand himself ran down 'ere an hour ago with the news. The Rogue wants to see ye about it." Sesha said, pushing Sarasai towards the Rogue's room.

Sarasai, suddenly going white, entered the room. Surely it wasn't true? It couldn't be.

One look at the Rogue's face confirmed her answer.

"We need Alenne." Was all he said, and she agreed.

They both knew that there was no way of getting Jasson out of those cells without a powerful mage. The others were powerful in their fields, like Sesha and Yates, but they needed a good all-rounder.

"I know." Sarasai replied, her grave at the severity of what Jasson's imprisonment might mean to their goals.

"You will find her. Quickly. Once you do, bring her back here. Then I'll announce that the attack on the Provost, and taking control of the Lower City will happened today. Under the cover of that, Alenne will free Jasson. Once the Prince is free, he will be kept here in safety until we move on to the next stage and take the castle. It is too dangerous, with his Ordeal being so close, for Jonthair to be anywhere near him." The Rogue said, his voice devoid of all emotion.

Sarasai left without questioning his orders. It was risky, attacking now, but they had a high chance of success. Everything was planned anyway, setting it in motion early wouldn't harm anything.

She turned towards the Cesspool, silently praying to Mithros and the Goddess that Alenne would be at home. They needed to get this done as quickly as possible.

* * *

"Where is she?" The Great Mother Goddess shrieked, causing all those in her presence to slap their hands over their ears in pain.

"I don't know." Alanna stated bluntly, for the fifth time, though it wasn't any better accepted than it had been the time before.

"Then find her! If Prince Jasson is not released by tomorrow, he will miss his Ordeal. He _must_ take his Ordeal, or he will not be King and we will fail! How did she manage to defy our orders? What did _you_ _do_?" She screamed, her finger pointing at Alanna, who glared at her.

"I did nothing. Perhaps she's fed up with being controlled by the Gods." She retorted, thrusting her chin up.

The Goddess narrowed her eyes, the air around her crackling, but was interrupted by a short cough coming from behind Alanna. They both whirled to face the newcomer, annoyed at the interruption.

"Goddess." The messenger said, bowing low. "My lady." He said to Alanna, inclining his head.

They both raised their eyebrows, waiting for the message. The air around the Goddess slowly settled down, and the messenger seemed to grow more confidant because of that.

"She's been found. In the woods behind the palace-"

They both disappeared before he finished his sentence, leaving him behind looking distinctly disgruntled.

* * *

I smiled, breathing the fresh air in deeply and relishing in the sound of leaves crunching under my boots. I hadn't realised how suffocating life in the city was until I'd left it, and I was glad I had. Whilst it was hardly the perfect day for a walk in the woods, the cold and dready weather didn't deter me. I sat briefly on a half-rotten log, happy to just absorb the atmosphere.

At least, I was peacefully absorbing the atmosphere until a stinging feeling came from around my neck. Wrenching my collar out, I stared at the necklace that always hung around my neck, hidden under layers because of its value, more than what it represented.

It was glowing.

Oh no. Couldn't I go one day without this all coming to annoy me?

I lifted the lion-shaped charm, holding it in my palm as I watched the jewels pulse steadily with purple light. There'd only been one other time it'd done that, when I'd met-

_Help. _

_Imprisoned. _

_Thomson knows._

I dropped the necklace, my eyes blinking as I tried to get rid of the image that had flashed across my mind. An image that definitely did not belong there. Jasson, imprisoned in what was undoubtedly a palace cell, holding his stone which was glowing blue.

Not possible.

As my mind recalled the image, I felt something. It wasn't like the words that I'd heard previously, whispered in my head on their own accord. This was a feeling, deep in my stomach. A longing of sorts, but a sick, twisted one that made my heart ache.

I knew that feeling. I'd tried to oppress it all too often recently.

_Why_ was I feeling it now?

I looked down at the necklace, resting my forehead on my palm as I tried to figure it all out. Obviously Jasson was in trouble, I knew enough about magic to trust the vision I'd received. If he really was imprisoned….everything was about to change.

_Thomson_ _knows._

Did that mean that Thomson knew Jasson could do magic? About my ancestry? About the uprising planned for the Lower City? I had to tell the Rogue. Without Jasson, we had no plan. We needed a King to take over, we needed him. If he really was imprisoned, we needed to break him free, and attack _now_, before Thomson could tell the whole court and things got out of hand.

As much as Jasson had hurt me, this was bigger than a petty argument and lovesick fools. I had to break him out, if I could, for the sake of everything. The whole scheme. A part of me wanted to leave him there, but another part knew I had to save him, it was the right thing to do. I couldn't be selfish at a time like this. I'd left the city for a day, on a selfish mission, and Jasson was in danger. This was bigger than me, I had been a fool to think of fighting it.

I didn't _want_ to be controlled, I never would. But I realised, looking at my necklace and with the image of Jasson fresh in my mind, that it was going to happen anyway, whether I liked it or not. We were defining history, at this very moment. Besides, the chances were that doing all this, living up to my ancestress's reputation could make me happier than I ever would have been living a lie in Coas Wood.

Without really knowing how, I found myself running back the way I'd come, towards the gates. Towards my destiny.

I ran into Sarasai on the way to the Rogue. I could tell at a glance that she already knew what was happening, she wasn't smiling. A sure sign that things were wrong.

"The Rogue sent me t'find you. The uprisin', tis happenin' now. Ye have to go free th'Prince while we all deal with Thomson, hopefully that'll cover ye." She said in a rush, before heading back towards the Rogue headquarters at the Sarain delegation's inn, and I, after hesitating a moment, headed off towards the palace.

I was halfway through Prettybone District when I heard the sounds of the battle starting. They were really doing it. Provost's Guards were streaming through the streets towards the Lower City, but I easily avoided them, keeping to the alleyways. I slipped through the palace gates, which were oddly deserted. The guards had presumably gone to deal with the situation in the Lower City. I wound my way through the palace to the cells, almost like I was being guided. I only been down there once, yet I found the cells without a hitch.

My necklace pulsed steadily against my chest, hidden beneath my shirt. I could feel the heat of it, and it spurred me on.

I skidded to a stop in front of a cell, almost missing the hunched over body in it. He looked up at the sound of my breathing, his eyes widening. The stone in his hand glowed a brilliant blue, and the look of relief on his face almost brought tears to my eyes. A part of me had thought he'd be dead, that Jonthair would have killed him.

"Jonthair's on his way, he'll be here any minute." He said, standing up and facing me at the bars.

Well, perhaps Jonthair would still have the opportunity, then. Not if we were quick, though.

"Take my hand." I said, a plan formulating in my mind of its own accord. Sending a blessing to the Goddess for her help, I closed my eyes, and concentrated on breaking Jasson out of the cell.

I could sense the blue and purple light glowing around us, and it was with a satisfying clunk that the metal bars fell to the ground, and Jasson stepped out. We ran down the corridor, the sound of approaching footsteps growing louder.

"They're coming." He said, going pale.

"Faster." I urged, pulling him behind me as we ducked down a corner, the clinking of the guard's armour now audible.

I closed my eyes. All we could hope was that they would run past, and miss us. Then we could escape.

Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that the necklace and stone were still glowing, bright enough to cast a glow across the corridor. That was all it took for them to find us. Jonthair was with them, and the look on his face when he saw me as well was utterly terrifying. He knew me through the disguise, and it only took a moment for him to realise that the objects we had were glowing with magic.

In that moment, I threw an orb of purple light at the guards, throwing three of them back into the wall. Jasson created a wall of blue fire between us and Jonthair, and I summoned more light to my fingertips. It was too late by the time I realised what had just happened. Jasson had revealed himself. So had I, but that was hardly worth anything next to him. Jonthair knew that he had magic.

Jonthair's face screwed up into a nasty snarl as he stared at his nephew. I panicked, my breathe quickening. I saw the dagger in Jonthair's hand; saw it as it flew towards us. I summoned all my energy, throwing it all into my palms. I saw the purple light engulf Jonthair, but I was running already. I felt Jasson's hand in mine; I felt it slip out of my grasp.

I turned, fighting all my instincts that were telling me to run. He was bleeding, the dagger imbedded in his shoulder. I froze, all conscious thoughts stopping. I couldn't move. I stared at him, blood soaking his shirt and spilling onto the ground around him. I saw Jonthair against the wall, in a crumpled heap, surrounded by guards in similar states. My eyes flickered back to the Jasson, purple meeting blue.

"No." I gasped, sinking to my knees beside him, placing my hands on his chest. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, but I made no effort to stop it. I no longer cared who saw.

He was dying.

He couldn't die. He _couldn't_. He was going to be King, and restore magic, and do good. He-he…

My hands shook, and I could feel my strength fading, a side effect of all the magic I'd done. I forced myself to stay awake, looking down at Jasson, his eyes now closed and his breathing shallow.

_No._

I was there crouched on the floor, tears flooding freely down my cheeks, completely without hope. There was nothing left I could do.

_Mithros, don't let him die._


	18. Destiny

_Mithros, don't let him die._

I repeated it over and over, whispering it to myself as I crouched over Jasson. He was still breathing, but it'd been too long since the dagger hit him. I looked at it, the golden hilt glinting unpleasantly in the dull lighting of the corridor.

I grasped it, pulling it out of his chest without thinking. I threw the dreaded thing on the floor, clasping my hand down on the wound, blood quickly trickling through my fingers, staining my hands red.

My eyes felt heavy, I knew I was very nearly unconscious. I shouldn't be here, we'd both be captured.

What did it matter if Jasson was dead?

I might as well die with him, the rebellion would.

_You have to live, Jasson. You _have _to._

My hands were shaking still, my breathing was uneven. I almost missed the faint glow coming from my palms, the drain on my energy, however, was obvious. It felt like my strength was fading, going into his body.

Which it was, I realised, as I saw his face smooth out, his breathing even out slightly even as mine grew ragged.

I was healing him. How? I had no idea. Apparently the powers I was gifted with were greater than I'd thought. I smiled slightly as I watched his wound slowly heal itself, leaving only the blood behind, a grisly reminder. The edges of my vision were black, and I fought my eyelids, trying to stay awake.

He was healing. I had to stay awake, and get us out of here. Jonthair was only just over there, he could…he could still….kill…

* * *

"Alanna?"

My surroundings slowly came into focus, and sure enough, the Lioness stood before me, her face impassive.

It took me a moment to remember, before everything came flooding back.

"Jasson!" I whispered, starting forward before remembering that I obviously was not consciousness if Alanna was present, and couldn't help Jasson.

I turned to Alanna, panic clear on my face and she smiled slightly, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"He's fine. You healed him well enough, he regained consciousness before Jonthair did and both you and he are now safely in the Rogue's custody." She said, pacing up and down, her arms folded over her chest.

"The uprising was successful, though Thomson is quite angry. Currently they've sealed off the upper districts and the palace, and Jonthair's hunting for the two of you. He won't stop, now that he knows."

I gulped. If Jonthair was looking for us, we didn't have long till he'd find us. Being the regent had some benefits, and being able to search an entire city for two people wasn't beyond his reach, even when we had the Court of the Rogue on our side.

"You need to get control of the palace. It's Midwinter, Alenne." She said to me, finally ending her pacing.

Oh.

It was Midwinter. We were out of time. His Ordeal was today. I had to kill Jonthair _now_ to get the around the law, and to protect us all. And to kill Jonthair, we'd need to take the palace and the rest of Corus. And to do that….we'd need the Dominion Jewel.

Which we didn't have.

"We can't. Not without the Dominion Jewel." I said, the familiar feeling of dread and hopelessness settling in.

"I know. Lady Elenna found it."

"What?" I gasped. "When?"

"I was notified of its location just after you healed Jasson." Alanna replied flatly, sitting down in the wooden chair that had just appeared.

I stared at her, unable to figure out why she was acting so…calm.

"Well, why am I asleep then? I should be out there, getting the Jewel and then Jasson ca-"

Alanna cut of my tirade with a solemn look, one that chilled me to the bone.

I closed my eyes, carefully not thinking too hard about what I was going to ask. If I did, I'd never have the courage to outright say it.

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

An awful beat of silence followed my question, and I didn't dare to look at her face, instead waiting to hear her reply.

"You almost were." She whispered, and I dared myself to look up. Her face was pale, and for the first time, she looked shocked, almost scared.

"You're unconsciousness at the moment, and without magical intervention, you will remain unconscious for a few days at the least." She said, and I got the impression that she was taking her emotions out of the equation, deliberately distancing herself from this.

"So, what, someone has to heal me?" I asked flatly, some part of me already accepting that there was no way I would wake up in time to

"Yes. Your necklace, the lion one, the jewels in it store magic, much like crystal swords and the olden style magic rods. If someone realises that, they can release the magic stored in it and use it to heal you. It's our only hope."

_Our_ only hope. I was again reminded that this was bigger than just me. Jasson could miss his Ordeal, he probably would since Jonthair would be doing everything in his power to prevent him from taking it, as well as trying to hunt him down. We would lose our chance to take the palace very soon, in a matter of hours. I needed to wake up _now_.

"Well, someone's going to have to figure that out. And fast." I said, sitting myself down in the newly appeared chair next to Alanna.

There was only one thing left to do now.

Wait.

* * *

"Nealan."

"Goddess." Nealan of Queenscove inclined his head to the Goddess, waiting anxiously to see why he was called here. He'd heard all about Kel, Alanna, Jon and Daine and their descendants and couldn't help but be a little bit excited at being included in the grand scheme the Goddess was undoubtedly concocting.

"I'm sure you are aware of what is going on, Nealan," She said, watching as he nodded in reply, "well, then, surely you aren't surprise when I say that I called you here to ask for your help, and, more specifically, your descendant's help."

"My-my descendant? The only living relative of mine disappeared years ago, and his parents are long dead." He said, confused.

"Yes, I am aware of that. That missing relative, he has come back to Corus. Though not under the name of Queenscove and Goldenlake which he left under." She said gravely, as two other people appeared beside Neal.

"Ah, Raoul. Buri. As I was just saying to Nealan, your shared descendant has returned. It is up to the three of you, plus the help of anyone you choose to enlist, to help him deal with his ancestry. It is time he stopped hiding from his past and his family."

The three turned to leave, but the Goddess stopped them.

"That's not all. He must also heal the Lioness's descendant, Alenne, as soon as possible. It is a matter of high importance that he finds her, draw making out of the necklace she is wearing, and heal her. If he fails, all will be lost."

With that ominous message, she dismissed them and the three disappeared, their part in the Gods' game about to begin.

* * *

In his quiet room at the inn, Yates was dreaming.

"Who are you?" He asked to the figure in his dream, a tall man with brilliant green eyes.

"I am Nealan of Queenscove." The man replied, before he uttered the words Yates at been trying to bury for years.

"And you, you are Yates of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, with a maternal line stretching back to my daughter. You, Yates of Goldenlake, are my descendant. Apparently it's become a pattern for descendants to share their ancestor's gifts, too."

Yates blinked at him, a part of him consumed by the fact that this was a very, very odd dream. Almost…realistic. He'd never dreamed up an ancestor of his before.

"You are a healer. You ran away, afraid for your life, when you realised you possessed the Gift that's run through your mother's line for centuries. Yet you came back. To help. And help is exactly what you must do now."

Yates felt his mouth drop open. Something about this was too_ real_ to be a dream.

"This isn't just a dream, is it? The gods are interfering, aren't they, like they did with Sesha?" He asked, the pieces slowly fitting together in his mind.

"Yes. And it is time for you to reveal yourself. Alenne is unconscious as I'm sure you're aware." Neal started, but Yates cut across him.

"I can't heal her when she's like that. I don't have enough power; I'd end up unconscious, or worse, myself." He said, shuddering at the thought.

"_That_ is where Alenne's necklace comes in. It stores magical power, use it to heal her. It will only give her a few hours before she will return to her current state, but that will have to be enough time for her to retrieve the Jewel and kill Jonthair."

With his task complete, Neal disappeared, leaving Yates rather startled as he glimpsed the whole scheme that was about to unfold. They were really going to do it, they were going to take the palace. And Jasson would be King in a day, and they could live freely. It was happening.

All he had to do was heal Alenne.

As soon as he thought that, he felt himself waking up, and started preparing himself for an event he'd hoped would never come, the revelation of who he truly was, a Tortallan noble, not a commoner from the farmlands in Sarain.

* * *

"Alenne. Alenne, wake up."

I could feel a hand on my arm, shaking me roughly.

"_Alenne_. Wake up. We don't have much time."

It was those last words that went straight to my brain, bringing back all the memories. I had to find the Dominion Jewel, I had to kill Jonthair.

My eyes flew open, and I tried to sit up. Yates, who'd been the one shaking me, held me down.

"Slowly. You don't want to end up unconscious again." He said, and it was only then that I noticed the healing supplies beside him.

"It's you. You're the one they were trying to find, the descendant of Nealan of Queenscove-"

He looked startled, placing a hand over my mouth.

"Shh! I haven't told everyone yet." He said, turning back to the fireplace.

"You can get up now. You need to hurry." He told me, still with his back to me.

I hurriedly got out of the bed, which, I assumed was in the Sarain delegation's inn, and made my way downstairs.

I had to find the one person I _really_ didn't want anything to do with, but, unfortunately, she knew the location of the Jewel, and I didn't.

I was almost at the door before I was spotted.

"You're awake!" Jasson said, the relief on his face obvious, a small grin even appeared for a moment.

He looked completely different to how I'd left him. There was no trace of blood on him now, and his shoulder looked fine from where I stood. He certainly looked more healthy than I felt.

"You're going to find the Jewel, aren't you? And kill my Uncle?" He said, and I marvelled at how cavalierly he discussed his uncle's impending death at my hands. To me, it was a momentous issue, one that I was trying not to dwell on for too long. Once the deed was done, I'd deal with the emotional repercussions.

"Yes." I said shortly, grabbing a cloak from a peg by the door, and wrapping myself up in it. My dagger was in place, but I would have to make a stop at the inn for a sword. I had a feeling this day wouldn't end without a physical confrontation of some kind.

"I'm coming." He said, his blue eyes flashing with determination.

"No, you're not. The entire guard is looking for you, you have to stay here. Safe." I replied, avoiding eye contact with him, afraid of what I'd see.

I was painfully aware of his presence, the ache in my stomach was worse than ever. I couldn't let him come with me, I couldn't let him be in danger. It was partly a selfish want, but I covered that with the practical need for the future King of Tortall to survive.

He didn't need to know how I felt. Nothing would come of it. He was a Prince, after all, and I'd probably be dead before all this was over.

I wasn't being negative, despite how much it sounded like it. It was being pragmatic. At this point, it seemed almost impossible that the person trying to kill the King would succeed without being at least dreadfully wounded. Besides, I only had a few hours before I returned to my unconscious state, and who knew when I would recover from that.

"I'm coming. You can't stop me." He said childishly, and I groaned.

"Jasson, I don't have time for this, I have to go _now._" I said, pushing the door open, hoping to make a run for it before he could follow me.

"No." He protested, his hand reaching out and grabbing my wrist.

My head turned to his out of habit, it was instinctual. My eyes met his, again, and it took me a moment to realise he was speaking.

"I can protect you, I can fight. You need me, Alenne. How are you expecting to get past all the guards? You're too weak to do magic. _I'm_ not. Besides, you need a natural born leader to use the Dominion Jewel. You need me." He said, before he pulled me out the door after him, and dragged us down the street.

"I need to get my sword from the inn." I said weakly, knowing arguing with him was useless. It hadn't actually occurred to me that I'd need him to use the Jewel, and I was rather ashamed that it hadn't.

"Fine. But it better be quick."

* * *

Lady Elenna wasn't hard to find. She was waiting for us, at the inn, in fact.

"The Jewel, I know where it is." She said, breathless, having obviously run here from the Palace District.

"Where?" I asked, as the three of us headed to my rooms to collect my sword.

I was careful to keep my disdain for her off my face, she was helping us. She might be trying to woo the prince, but I had no claim over him, no real claim, anyway. She wasn't doing anything wrong, I had no reasonable reason to be angry.

Yet I was.

Shaking my head to clear it, I grabbed my sword as she replied.

"The bell tower." She replied as we rushed down the stairs.

"The bell tower?" Jasson repeated, obviously as suspicious of the location as I was.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Elenna snapped as the cold of the outdoors struck us, and I saw Jasson wince.

"It's in the bell tower. You could at least _trust_ me. I haven't done _anything_ to you." She said, looking at both of us before she stalked off to who knows where.

I didn't wait to watch her leave. We didn't have time to question Elenna's information, we'd have to simply trust the fact that the Dominion Jewel was, in fact, in the bell tower, as odd as it sounded.

I suppose it had some merit, that hiding place, as the only person who went up there was the bell-ringer, so only one person would know of the location. They could easily be protecting it for the good of magic, or something similar.

I had a feeling my thoughts were rather nonsensical, so I stopped pondering the merits of hiding places and concentrated on running as fast as I could, Jasson at my side, to the palace.

* * *

The Gods must have been smiling down on us. We made it to the bell tower seeing neither hide nor hair of a guard, something that should have reassured me, but instead had the opposite effect. I couldn't help but think that the lack of guards meant something big was going down somewhere and with the invasion of the castle by the rebels looming, that couldn't be good.

Refusing to let doubt cloud my mind, I climbed the steps to the bell tower ahead of Jasson. We were halfway up the staircase when the sound of heavy-boot-clad footsteps sounded in the hallway we'd just left.

The guards.

"Move." Jasson said, nudging me in the back to keep me moving. I'd stopped upon hearing the threat without even thinking about it.

We ran up the steps, coming to a stop when we reached the top, the bell gleaming above us, the rope hanging down in the centre.

"Where is it?" Jasson said, his eyes frantically roaming around the tower.

I was impatient also, but I cleared my mind, hoping that some small part of me would be able to sense the Jewel.

I walked forward until I stood directly beneath the bell. I couldn't sense it. I hadn't really expected to be able to, after all I didn't possess the Sight.

Why couldn't Elenna have just _given_ it to us? Surely…she must have had a reason for leaving it in the bell tower.

My gaze shifted to the narrow staircase, the sounds of the guards below echoing up. Why…why was the Jewel in the bell tower, of all places?

It might've been an influence of my own negative impression of the Lady Elenna, but everything about the current situation was making me suspicious.

I looked up, part of me seeking Alanna for answers, like I often did.

It was there, looking up at the high ceiling with the bell tethered to it that I spotted a jewel, embedded into the ceiling. It looked like it had been there for centuries; it had certainly been put there by magic.

"There." I whispered, pointing up at the jewel.

Jasson turned, his gaze following my arm. As soon as he spotted it, he set to work on getting it down. I had no idea how he was planning on doing _that_, it looked impossible.

_Thud. Thud_.

The sound of footsteps reached me, coming from the staircase. The guards were coming up here. We couldn't escape.

I drew my sword, the sound of it drawing Jasson's attention. He stopped what he was doing, but I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head slightly.

"Keep doing what you're doing, I'll hold them off until you get it down." I said, and he looked doubtful.

Probably doubting my ability to fight, as I was. It was a bit late now for self-doubt, however, as the head of the first guard rose out of the staircase.

I brandish my sword, the weapon gleaming in the daylight, lunging at the guard before he had a chance to draw his weapon.

Somehow, I kept them at bay in a whirl of blood and aching limbs, my mind detached. I refused to smell the blood, refused to think about what I was doing to the poor coves entering the bell tower. It was for my own protection.

I felt Jasson at my shoulder; I couldn't control the shiver that went through me as his lips approached my ear, his breath warm.

"I can't get it down. You have to climb up the rope. I'm too heavy for it." He said, moving to stand next to me with his sword drawn.

I looked at him for a moment, before I switched to looking at the rope. It didn't looked strong enough to hold any more weight than it already was, Jasson had been right to not try and climb it himself. Sheathing my sword, I left him fighting, squashing the part of myself that cringed at having him in mortal danger. He would be fine; he was a Squire, almost a Knight.

I placed a foot on the rim of the bell, and hoisted myself up. Thank the Goddess that I was fit now, all the training with Cora the Shang Griffin and with Alanna in my dreams was paying off. I had no problem hoisting my body up the rope, and I perched near the top, the jewel just to the right of my head. I could see it clearly, embedded in the rock with the help of four metal clips.

I reached out to touch it; the only way I could think of to get it out was to literally prise it from the rock. As soon as my hand grasped the shiny surface of the jewel, everything changed.

I could feel _everything_.

The jewel came free, almost as if by its own accord, but part of me felt the rock release it, felt the jewel come free on my bidding.

I was controlling the Jewel.

That…that meant…Jasson wasn't the only natural-born leader.

_I _was destined to be a leader. To be a _ruler_.

Not, not destined. I _was_ a natural ruler, or else I wouldn't feel the power of the Dominion Jewel.

_Oh…_

While a part of my mind stayed frozen, stuck contemplating exactly what the revelation that I could control a Jewel only used by a nation's rulers, the other part saw Jasson as he fought on below me, the cries of the battle filling the air. From my spot, tightly hanging on to the rope, I could hear the cries of another battle, the sounds of the rebels attacking the palace. It was time for me to find Jonthair, and kill him.

But…I stared down at the jewel, glowing brightly in my hands.

I knew my destiny now.

**A/N:**

**So…here it is. Chapter 18. **

**I think I owe you an explanation after the events of Chapter 17. I never actually intended for any of those events to happen, especially Jasson's wound, but when writing the scene, I couldn't see them getting out of that situation without some sort of damage. It would have been unrealistic. **

**As for Yates, more about his heritage will be revealed. I've been planning that for a while. He has a whole backstory, actually. Possibly a spin-off when I, if ever, finish this, you never know. **

**I'm assuming most of you will have figured out what Alenne's destiny is now. Feel free to rant about it in a review, squee about it, sigh and tell me you saw it coming all along, whatever. **

**All is fine by me. **

**Lastly, a massive thank you to my five reviewers on Chapter 17, all of your reviews brought a smile to my face. I honestly thought I'd have very few readers left (there actually was one who un-favourited my story after chapter 17), so it was good to read your thoughts.**


	19. Emptiness and Impossibilities

They say when you die, your life flashes before your eyes.

Well, I wasn't dying, but my life was clear in my eyes.

We'd win this battle, I'd kill Jonthair (somehow), and then, through a series of fortunate circumstances, I'd be able to tell Jasson how I felt. And, somehow, he'd feel the same way. That's when the perfect life would start. We'd get married, and I'd become Queen.

It was the only possible ending, now that I knew I was a natural ruler.

Well, that, or I'd kill Jasson and take his place on the throne.

I didn't want to _know_ this. I _shouldn't_ know my future; I shouldn't be able to say, "Hey, I'm going to be Queen!" It was completely insane.

It wasn't possible.

There _had _to be another explanation. I was Alanna's descendant; she hadn't been the type to rule a country. Since I was exactly like her, I mustn't be either.

Perhaps the Jewel was malfunctioning. Perhaps I was just a figurehead, and it mistook that for a ruler. Or perhaps I was simply a very good coordinator of people, someone others listened to.

How did the Jewel even determine if someone _was_ a natural-born ruler? Was there a list of criteria one had to fulfil? Could it see the future?

"Alenne?"

Jasson.

I looked down, into his eyes, to find him standing there, surrounded by the dead bodies of the guards, his sword coated in blood in his hand.

"Get down here. We need to hurry." He said, wiping his sword clean on a guard's tunic.

A part of me shuddered at the horror surrounding us, but I shimmied down the rope anyway, leaping down onto the stone floor with a thud.

"It was a set up. They were waiting for us to get up here." He said his eyes serious.

I didn't deny that. It had only been minutes ago that I'd been contemplating the odd location Elenna had sent us to. We didn't truly know anything about her; it was looking more and more likely that she'd been the one to set us up.

Mithros, she was probably the traitor too, and was responsible for not only the destruction of the Court of the Rogue the night of the attack on the Market of Sorrows, but also for Jasson's imprisonment.

Whilst that was no doubt a problem that needed to be dealt with, most of my mind was still caught up on the issue of the Dominion Jewel and all it represented. It was still in my hand, I could still sense its power. I opened my mouth, hoping that somehow, the words would come out of my mouth and explain all that to Jasson.

Of course, a miracle like that was too much to hope for.

Jasson reached out and grabbed the Jewel, leaving me standing with my palm outstretched, gaping at him like a ducknob.

I watched as he felt the power of the Jewel, the wonder clear on his face.

"Alenne...I can heal you." He murmured, so soft that I almost missed it.

"What?" I replied incredulously, whilst he looked at me in earnest.

"I can feel the sickness in you; the Jewel's augmenting my Gift." He said, smiling slightly at the thought.

Was that _supposed_ to happen? I don't think it had augmented _my_ Gift. Perhaps it really was malfunctioning?

Before I knew it, blue light surrounded me.

"Jasson, no! We have to hurry, we need to get to Jonthair, don't waste time on-"

My eyes rolled back in my head at that point, and everything went white. When I came to, we were in the hallway below, and I was in Jasson's arms.

"You're a cracknob, you know that, right?" I replied, hitting him lightly on the arm whilst working myself free of his grasp.

Whilst I appreciated having my life saved, he _had_ wasted time. Though, because of his actions, we weren't on such a tight deadline, I suppose.

We walked in silence through the palace to the royal wing. I was trying hard to think about anything _but_ the Dominion Jewel, while he was clearly enjoying the power it gave him.

"You should help the rebels. I can deal with Jonthair on my own. You don't want to be there." I said, leaving out the "I don't want you to be there" that had been on the tip of my tongue.

Somehow I don't think he'd like me trying to protect him. He never had before.

He nodded at me in response, which surprised me. I'd thought he'd argue; want to come with me for some stupid, noble and chivalrous reason. Perhaps he was finally seeing sense. It was more likely, though, that the Dominion Jewel was showing him just how badly he was needed in other areas. I could see a flicker of indecision in his face, a part of him _did_ want to remain with me.

I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that.

He left me at the corner, and I continued to Jonthair's chambers alone.

I pushed the heavy wooden door open, wincing at the loud creaking sound it made. If Jonthair was in his chambers, he certainly knew that someone was looking for him now.

I drew my sword, praying to the Goddess that I wouldn't have to use it unless it was _absolutely_ necessary, and stepped inside the room.

It was empty.

Not just 'no one was in the room' empty, but _really_ empty. The furniture was gone, the wardrobe was open, exposing its empty shelves.

It was completely and utterly _empty_.

He was gone.

At the sound of someone running through the hallway, their footsteps echoing through the chambers, I whirled around to see a pale Sarasai, her hair wild from her run and her breath erratic.

She opened her mouth, probably to impart whatever message she'd had for me, but stopped dead when she saw the room, her eyes roaming over the empty spaces.

"He...he's gone." I whispered, looking at the dusty floor.

I saw her feet approaching, but I didn't look up. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react to finding out the person I'd been about to assassinate had disappeared. On one hand, it was good news because Jasson was free to take his Ordeal and be crowned.

On the other, we had no idea where he was, and I would still inevitably have to kill him, at some point. It was a part of my twisted destiny, after all. It had been a part of Alanna's.

Sarasai didn't say anything; she just simply stood there in silence, waiting for me to compose myself. She knew me quite well, I'd never really noticed before.

After a few moments had passed, Sarasai placed her hand on my arm. It was only then that I noticed it was covered in dried blood.

"Is it over?" I asked, referring to the fighting that had no doubt taken place, the crucial part of the battle I'd missed completely.

"Aye. Ye'd better come down." She said, and I followed her out of the empty chamber, feeling rather empty myself.

Why had he left? He'd tried so hard to maintain his grip on power in Corus, it didn't make any sense. Surely he hadn't been that scared of the rebel forces that he'd run out of cowardice. There had to be another motive, Jonthair wasn't the type to do anything without good reason.

"Did you get Thomson?" I asked, suddenly remembering the existence of another of our important enemies.

"Sesha got 'im." She said as we rounded the final corner before the throne room, where I assumed she was leading me.

More blood on our hands, then. A part of me wanted to share everything with Sarasai. She'd understood that I'd needed a moment earlier; perhaps she'd understand everything else too. The guilt I was supressing, the doubt I was feeling about my future, the mixed feelings I had about Jonthair's disappearance, and, most of all, Jasson.

I'd almost made up my mind to say something, but we passed through the entrance to the throne room, and I stopped dead.

The sight of most of the thieves standing in clusters around their leader, lying comatose in the middle of the stone floor.

Oh no.

"He just fell down, all of a sudden. The Prince 'as been tryin' to help 'im." She said, moving to take her place with the members of the Court of the Rogue.

I turned my gaze to Jasson. Looking to him in crisis situations was starting to become a habit.

His eyes met mine, before they flicked back down to the Dominion Jewel in his palm. I saw Yates out of the corner of my eye, crouched by the Rogue, let go of his hand and set it to the floor.

I knew what the motion meant. He was dead.

Jasson's eyes were boring into my head; I turned back to look at him, the remorse in his eyes obvious.

The guilt there was harder for me to explain. It wasn't his fault the Rogue was dead; it was no one's fault.

A casualty of war.

Unless...

I looked at the Dominion Jewel again, recalling something Alanna had told me a while back.

Using the Jewel had consequences. Jasson had used it, to heal me, to stop me from going unconscious.

The Rogue had suddenly become unconscious, just when I'd been healed.

He...he was the consequence. His life for mine.

His body, lying still on the floor, swam before my vision. The grief-stricken faces of the thieves looked more serious than I'd ever seen them. Sarasai had no trace of a smile on her face, the blood on her skin a stark reminder of the price we were paying for the rebellion. The bodies of other victims, whether ours or members of the royal household and the palace staff, I couldn't tell.

Death was everywhere.

I closed my eyes, I couldn't stand looking at the devastation around me anymore. I was wrong, it wasn't nobody's fault. It was mine. I should never have let Jasson heal me, I should have protested more.

I should have been quicker; we should have taken less time. If Jasson had gotten down here a second earlier, the Rogue might still be alive.

Instead, we were without our leader. We had a ruler, oh yes, we may even have had two, but what use was that among the Court of the Rogue?

We'd won the battle, but lost so much in the process.

**A/N:**

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed over the past few days, it's been a massive help in keeping this updating streak going.**

**I have no idea how long it's going to last, but I guess we'll see. This chapter isn't anywhere near as long as the others, I was intending to put more stuff in, but I felt it had to end here.**

**Also, this was written on my computer that doesn't have a spellcheck/grammar check function, so, ah, feel free to point out any errors. I want to keep my streak up and post this now, so I'm not going to wait till I get my other computer back :)**


	20. Internal Battles

It was over.

It had seemed, for so long now, that achieving our aim, of capturing Corus and the palace, having Jasson knighted and on the throne was almost an impossible task.

Yet here we were, having successfully achieved it.

Not entirely, however. Jonthair was missing, and there were casualties. I'd known there would be…but seeing them was very different.

A week had passed since the battle, a week full of weeping families, mass burials, a hasty (yet traditional) Ordeal of Knighthood, the realisation of exactly how big a power vacuum the Rogue had left behind and a full pardon to all mages on Jasson's behalf, not that that meant much until he was King and could officially change the rules.

No one was exactly sure who would take charge of the thieves now. Hamrath was temporarily taking charge, but he was from Sarain, and wasn't consider fit for leadership by most of them, including himself. Yates was another option, though he had lost the trust of many of the rebels when he revealed his heritage as a Tortallan nobleman of the house of Goldenlake.

Speaking of nobility, it was now my turn to act. Jasson had promised me long ago that once he was King he would help reinstate me as the heir to Trebond, Olau and Pirate's Swoop, making me one of the most powerful nobles in Tortall.

Jasson's coronation was tomorrow night, exactly a week after Midwinter. Tomorrow, he'd hold court for the first time (though he'd been doing similar activities all week, but we had to follow some sort of protocol, I suppose) and my case would be put forward. I had a sneaking suspicion that Yates was considering taking over his family's estate, as his parents were now deceased, but he'd yet to announce anything.

As for the others, well, Graf had taken to popping in at odd moments like he always had, so nothing was new there. There'd been an enormous row between him and Sarasai last night in the throne room. Over what, I have no idea.

Siblings.

Lady Elenna had disappeared, and no one, in this realm of the Gods', seemed to have any idea what had happened there. The day after Midwinter, when I'd asked Alanna about it, she'd seemed just as confused as I was.

"I think Elenna was the traitor. She sent us to find the Jewel in the bell tower; it only makes sense that she'd be the one to set up the trap with the guards as well." I said, pacing back and forward in front of the Lioness as my brain whirled.

She stood with her feet firmly planted, her arms crossed, her face in what I'd come to recognize as her 'thinking' expression.

"It must have been her. It's odd that she managed to deceive Kel and the Goddess, but then she does possess the Sight." Alanna said a slight frown on her forehead.

"I'll ask the Goddess, and as soon as she is located, you will deal with her." She said, assuming her controlling mode, letting her arms fall to her sides.

"In the meantime, any sign of Jonthair?" She enquired.

I shook my head, wincing slightly at the mention of that particular fail. Jonthair had, much like Elenna, managed to completely disappear, much to everyone's annoyance.

In the few days after the talk with Alanna, I'd been blessed with my own dreams, though she had appeared two nights ago to tell me that they had absolutely no leads on either Jonthair or Elenna. She also took the liberty to remind me to continue with my training, as it was 'important to keep up one's physical fitness', or something like that.

As for Jasson, I was becoming a master at avoiding the issue. I hadn't told anyone that I could use the Jewel, it remained safely in Jasson's custody until someone decided on a suitable storage place. The revelation that I was a natural born ruler was shocking, and I even though I didn't really have anything else to preoccupy myself with, I kept putting the issue to the back of my mind.

The idea that my future was somehow predetermined seemed completely unfair. I suppose I should have thought about it earlier, what with the endless manipulation of my life down by the Gods, but I only felt used now, knowing that I was almost guaranteed to become Queen of Tortall.

There were other explanations to me being able to use the Jewel; I suppose the idea of me ruling _another_ country wasn't entirely outside the realms of possibility.

I was completely conflicted over my feelings about Jasson. I was definite that I _had_ feelings for him, I'd realised as much before Midwinter. Now, though, knowing that I had a very real chance of succeeding in that relationship…I didn't want to go there. I wanted to make my own choices, not be defined by what the Gods decided I should do.

Hence why I was hiding in the stables mere moments before the King's Ordeal. Jasson was to sit vigil in the Chapel all night, similar to what he'd done a week ago for his Ordeal of Knighthood. Yesterday, he'd asked me to sit with him, the only real interaction we'd had all week. If I'd had it my way, I wouldn't have seen him at all, but he'd come deliberately to the inn to find me.

The sun began to set, and I knew it was almost time for me to go to Jasson's side. My stomach tightened at the thought, and I couldn't contain the warmth that spread through my body. Another part of me, however, shuddered slightly, as it always did when anything related to the throne of Tortall was mentioned.

Sighing slightly, I made my way down from the stable loft, brushing hay out of my still-short hair, the bell signalling the hour ringing in the distance.

* * *

As it turned out, stone floors were _not_ comfortable. It was freezing in the Chapel, and I was counting down the hours till sunrise, when Jasson would move from his spot and head to the Chamber of Ordeal. He appeared to be in some kind of trance, and was oblivious to my near constant fidgeting.

I really had no idea why he'd wanted me here. Of all people, why me? _He_ didn't know of the predetermined connection between us. No, he got to have a carefree life, not having any inkling whatsoever about whom he would marry…

Though, I suppose he did also have the Gods meddling in his life. As much as Alanna annoyed me, I supposed King Jonathon must have visited Jasson as well. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face at that thought. If Jasson had told Jonathon why he'd asked me here, perhaps Jonathon had told Alanna. Mithros knows how much those in that realm liked to gossip.

I spent the next few hours trying in vain to fall asleep, hoping that Alanna would miraculously appear in my dreams. A week ago, I could almost have guaranteed it. Now, of course, when I actually had a question (of sorts) to ask, she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Not that falling asleep was working in any case.

Well, since I was in the chapel, I might as well reflect, I suppose.

My mind, being the irritating thing it was, jumped straight to the big question. Would knowing if Jasson had feelings for me change anything?

The warm, gullible, _girly_ part of me exploded with joy at the thought that he might feel something. If he did, though, the rational part of me knew that it was a step closer to being forced into the Gods' plan.

Sighing softly, I stared at the back of Jasson head, subconsciously slipping into my own trance as the night wore on.

* * *

Considering how long the vigil had taken, the Ordeal itself was very short. A little over fifteen minutes after he went in, Jasson emerged, looking pale and shaken, but rather better than he had after the Ordeal of Knighthood. He'd emerged from that one to a crowd of fellow knights from his year, those who supported him and not Jonthair, a few of the rebel forces, and myself, though I'd hidden behind two burly squires to avoid his gaze.

Now, though, everyone else had been banned. The only other people present were two guards, standing by the door, looking almost as tired as I felt.

A grin slowly broke out onto his face as he stumbled across the stone floor, coming to a shaky stop in front of me.

I hadn't really spoken to him properly in a long time, so I wasn't entirely surprised to find myself speechless. All it took was one long look into his eyes, and I was completely lost, completely conflicted.

I loved him that much was obvious.

He might even love me.

I did not, however, want to marry him. Not because I had any objection to him, but because I didn't want to follow the plan of the Gods.

But, the warm and fuzzy part of me put in, why should I deny myself happiness just because it might be my destiny to become Queen? There was no sense in fighting destiny.

Yet, I didn't want to know, now, that I would be Queen. It was _too much_.

Ugh.

I turned my attention back to his eyes. My thoughts were too confusing for me to make sense of. Maybe I was fighting a losing battle, trying to stop destiny, maybe not. It was simpler, in that moment, to lose myself in eyes, his smile, than think about things too closely.

Especially since I'd had no sleep.

Unfortunately, or maybe it was fortunately, my brain was awake enough to register when he kissed me.

It came out of the blue, as things often seemed to around me and Jasson. One minute he was almost falling over with exhaustion, the next, his lips were on mine, and we were kissing.

Everything else faded to a blur. His hands were in my short hair, and I relaxed into his body, somehow firm and strong despite his fatigue.

I was completely and utterly lost.

He pulled away, just far enough that our noses were still touching, and I could feel his breath on my lips. The necklace around my neck was hot; I could feel it burning against my skin. If I'd been able to turn my gaze down, I was sure I'd find it glowing purple.

"I love you." Jasson whispered, his breath tickling my lips in such a way that I almost missed what he'd said.

_Oh. _

_Oh, no._

He…he…_loved_ me.

I loved him.

No. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to stay in my head, emotions that would eventually go away. Alanna didn't become Queen, she didn't have it in her. I obviously couldn't become Queen either. I was her descendant, after all. I was exactly like her.

The Jewel must have been wrong. It...no.

I couldn't deal with it. What it all meant, Jasson's kiss, the 'I love you'.

No.

Too much.

I ran, my footsteps echoing around me as I pelted as fast as I could out of the castle. I ran past a few people on the way out, but stopped for none. By the time I reached Flash District, tears were streaming down my face. I wiped them away hastily, entering the inn at full speed and locking myself in my room.

There'd been a few other occasions that I'd collapsed on my bed in tears over Jasson, but this one trumped them all.

He loved me.

He really, truly, loved me.

And that, that scared me.

**A/N: **

**Yes, a new chapter. It's taken me..err..a few days, but still it's a rather quick update! Not on the scale of last week, but we might see that again...eventually. In, say, July. **

**Err..anyway...that was an epic moment. Alenne's a little crazy at the moment, at least in my opinion :P.**

**Also, let us take a moment to celebrate several milestones for this story….**

**In the past week, we've surpassed the 40,000 word mark, surpassed the 50 review mark AND surpassed the 3500 reads mark. **

**YAY! A massive thank you from me to all of you. This story would, mostly likely, not even exist without you lovely readers :)**

**Clearly my rapid updates were doing something right :D**

**Oh, and this is the twentieth chapter. TWENTIETH. How did this happen? :O**


	21. The Coronation

**A/N: My apologies for the wait. It's exam season, fun fun. **

My room at the inn was becoming my safe haven. I refused to move all day, dreading each hour that ticked by, knowing that I'd have to face everybody in the evening for Jasson's coronation.

What was I supposed to say to him? Oh, sorry about that, I'm just completely _terrified_ of what might happen if, say, you ask me to marry you.

Bit premature, perhaps.

He probably thought I was a _complete_ fool now, running off like that. The way things tend to go around me, he'd probably already moved on completely.

That'd be just my luck.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, my hands framing my face as I pondered everything. It'd been quite a few hours now, and I still had no answers. Running seemed like the best option.

A knock on my door startled me, and I narrowed my eyes at the piece of wood warily, not sure what I'd do if it was Jasson behind it.

"It's me." Came Sarasai's voice, and I let out a breath of relief. I got up to let her in, and she took in my appearance in an instant, her glance sweeping over my messy room, before she sighed.

"Talk." She said simply, but I knew exactly what she meant. My avoidance of Jasson over the past week can't have gone unnoticed.

I perched on the end of my bed, my hands folded in my lap, my gaze on the floor. This would be easier to say if I pretended she wasn't here.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it.

How was I even going to _start_ explaining everything?

"I...I..." I sighed.

"I'm in love with Jasson."

There. I'd said it, it was out now.

I heard Sarasai's intake of breath, but I didn't look up. It seemed that now I'd started, nothing was going to stop me.

"And Jasson...he told me he loves me, this morning after the Ordeal...and he kissed me." I said, mumbling the last part.

I could feel Sarasai's incredulous stare. I suppose it was a little bit out of the blue, neither one of us had ever really displayed anything publicly.

"I'm scared." I whispered, finally raising my eyes to meet Sarasai's. She looked unsurprisingly shocked, but she smiled sympathetically at me anyway.

Sarasai crossed the room, coming to sit next to me on my thin mattress.

"Ye're scared of what? The possibilities?" She asked, sounding uncharacteristically intelligent and sensitive.

I hesitated. It was now or never, I suppose.

"I-I can use the Dominion Jewel." I said slowly, my gaze once again focused on my hands, pale and clasped tightly in my lap.

Sarasai was obviously refraining from reacting, but I could almost feel the shock radiate off her, sense the thoughts whirling around in her mind.

"Isn't tha' a good thing?" She asked slowly, and I could see her eyeing me warily out of the corner of my eye.

"Yes. No. I don't know." I replied unhelpfully. "It's just...I don't _feel_ like a ruler. What if he doesn't really love me? What if it's all lies?"

"Well," Sarasai started, shifting slightly so that she was facing me. I turned to look at her, finding it rather ironic that I was turning to her for wisdom.

"First off, now that ye've told me tha' he told ye he loved ye, tis obvious. All th'little things he did for ye, I can see it now. So tha' one's answered." She said, pausing slightly before continuing on.

"As for ruling, Jasson's had years t'get used t'the idea of bein' King. Ye've had it thrust on ye just now. For what it's worth, I think ye'll be a great Queen."

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face at that. As much as I might disagree, it was encouraging to hear it. Besides, it was true.

"Come, ye better get ready for th'ceremony." She said, pulling me to my feet.

I was rather glad to have her here, if only to help with the dangerous process of making my short hair ladylike.

* * *

Somehow, I managed to make it to the palace for Jasson's coronation, my hair pinned up in a surprisingly elegant hairdo. I had no idea where Sarasai had gotten the dress I was wearing (I had my suspicions about clothes Elenna had left behind, but then, knowing Sarasai, she could have stolen it from anywhere), but it made me feel much less self-conscious walking into the throne room.

I might not be a noblewoman yet, but I soon would be.

The remaining members of the royal court all eyed the members of the Court of the Rogue and me in annoyance. They obviously weren't pleased that commoners were present. Jasson's fellow knight and squire friends all gathered around us, obviously not having any lost love with the courtiers either.

The ceremony itself was simple. It was performed by the Queen, as she was the only one left in Corus with the authority. Though, I suppose she was no longer the Queen, after this.

Lots of words were said, but nothing particularly illuminating. Jasson stood with his back to me, it was only when he stood to be crowned that he faced us, the audience. As the crown touched his head, his eyes found mine.

That wasn't all that happened. A spark seemed to ignite between the crown and him, signifying the tie between him and our country. If I'd had the Sight, I would have expected to see a flood of magic surrounding him. As much as we might try to fight and deny magic, it was a part of our land, our culture. We couldn't hide from it or suppress it.

That gave me some comfort, since I was fighting on the side of magic.

I silently melted into the crowd at the back of the hall, out of Jasson's line of sight. I knew he'd come looking for me after this, it was a given.

Instead of focusing on him, I thought about his promise to me. Now that he was King, he would help me reclaim my heritage right. I didn't want to stay at the festivities, so I took the opportunity to return to the inn and gather the papers. I would deliver them tonight, I decided; get it out of the way as soon as possible.

I began the slow walk back up to the palace, walking past many city folk, some celebrating, others going about their business. They all stared at me, but that was become normal these days. I was almost as infamous as Jasson; I was the mage who'd achieved so much.

Soon, I'd probably be the mage who'd captured the King's heart. They didn't know that yet, and I could only dread the reaction. The weight of such a position was incredible. I was in the public eye now, sure, but if Jasson began courting me once I was Alenne of Trebond, Pirate's Swoop and Olau…things would be different.

Something hit me on the shoulder, hard. I turned, coming face to face with a tall cove, muscly, a rotten turnip in his hand.

"Ye folk should be hanged." He growled, tossing the vegetable from one hand to the other. I could already smell the stench from the one that had hit me, but I refused to look down at it. Instead, I rested my hand lightly on my belt, where my knife was kept. The cove, I noticed, had his own knife, a fair bit larger than mine.

I wasn't naïve enough to think that everyone in Corus had welcomed the takeover. There were plenty who shared the views that magic should be stamped out. After the disaster that was the Second Immortal War, I understood that quite well. It was impossible, though, to think that they could simply kill us all off. If anything I proved that magic would survive no matter what.

In the blink of an eye, the cove drew his knife, it glinted dangerously in the night light. Sighing slightly to myself, I drew my own weapon. The papers proving my heritage were safely stowed inside my bodice, but I still didn't' fancy fighting in a dress. That had been one of the advantages of being disguised as a cove.

He tackled me first, and we went rolling in the dirty lane, both trying to get the upper hand. He was stronger than me, getting in a hard punch to my gut that winded me. We hit the wall of one of the shops in the lane, him hitting the stone and me hitting him. I recovered first, using my smaller size to my advantage, darting away too fast for him to catch. I kicked his ankles out from under him when he stood up, a trick I'd learnt from the Shang. He growled in anger, but by that time, a few more had joined us.

I was a well-dressed woman in a Lower City lane at night. I was easy pickings. I looked from one to the other, there were four of them now, burly and strong. The wall was to my back, I had no way of running. They formed a semi-circle around me, and I prepared myself to draw on my last weapon. Magic.

Purple fire crackled around my hands, and I saw the repulsion in their eyes. They all knew who I was; there weren't many gixies who could wield purple magic in this city.

Suddenly, a dark shape flew off the top of one of the shops, landing on the back of one of the men. He went down, and the shape, a decidedly human shape, threw a shining knife at the next man. By that time I'd gathered my wits, taking one down with a fierce hit of magic.

When he turned to face me, I couldn't help but grin.

"Graf." I said, grinning at the cove in front of me.

"Thought ye could use th'help." Graf said, pulling his knife out of a man's arm, wiping it on his tunic and sheathing it.

"Ah, did ye hear the news?" He said, as we headed towards the palace together, leaving a pile of wounded, but not mortally so, ducknobs behind us.

"What news?" I queried. Knowing Graf, it could be anything from the weather in the Copper Isles to the latest gossip of the Court ladies.

"There's a new Rogue been chosen." He said smugly, swinging his arms loosely by his side as we walked.

"Who?" I said, intrigued.

"Me." He said with a grin.

I paused at that.

There was something…Sarasai…she'd had a dream, ages ago, about becoming the Rogue. And yet…Graf was.

For now, anyway.

"Congratulations. How'd you get that?" I asked, putting thoughts of Sarasai out of my mind. Who knew, perhaps she'd just been dreaming.

"They chose me. Don't know why." He replied, as we crossed under the palace gates. The sounds of the festivity grew louder, the lights brighter.

We chatted about other trivial matters until we reached the palace steps; there, we parted, Graf to do whatever it was he did at this time of night. I watched him lope away into the darkness, the memory of the attack, mere minutes earlier, still fresh in my mind. The image of Graf, wielding a knife, made me shiver, an odd sense of foreboding settling over me.

"You really should be inside."

I closed my eyes at the sound of his voice. Of all the people to find me, of course it was him.

"I believe congratulations are in order."

I turned, careful to keep both my expression and my tone light and emotionless. His gaze was unreadable as he looked me up and down. If anything, he looked troubled, but I couldn't fathom why.

"If I'm being honest, it feels like more of a bittersweet victory. When I imagined this moment, we had caught my uncle, and all the loose ends were tied up. I suppose real situations hardly ever finish that neatly." Jasson said, exposing a side of him, wise and thoughtful that made me all the more sure that he would be a great King.

"We will fix all that, soon. I'll find Jonthair." I found myself saying, realising it was true. Jasson might be ready to be King, but there were things I had to do, 'loose ends', I suppose, that were my responsibility.

"Oh," I exclaimed, suddenly remembering the reason I wasn't enjoying the festivities in the first place. "I have the papers proving my heritage here. I thought I'd give them to you now." I said, pulling the papers out and handing them over.

Jasson took the papers, smiling slightly in an utterly unreadable way before he headed back inside. I lingered a moment longer, pondering that fact that I really did want to go find Jonthair, and soon. I felt like it was what I needed to do. That, and restore magic to the rest of the land, not just Corus and Tortall.


	22. A Duel of Sorts

I stared out over the busy Lower City street, feeling strangely separated from the hustle and bustle below me. In distance, yes, but also in spirit. I wasn't a plain gixie, one who could easily slip between crowds, a simple country girl anymore. I had a place here, a reputation, and I was no longer part of the Lower City crowd. I didn't fit here anymore, but neither did I fit anywhere else, at least not until Jasson passed the law granting me my inheritance.

I was anxious for things to begin to move again. It was the time for politics now, not something I was a part of. Today, Jasson would start the move on my heritage, yes, but _I_ had no active part in that. I was half tempted to take off on a wild chase after Jonthair, but I knew that would be fruitless. We had no leads on his whereabouts, and without at least a tiny whisper of information, I was essentially stuck in Corus, waiting for others to make their moves.

It was irritating, to say the least.

A knock on my door, much like the one I'd received yesterday, startled me from my musings.

"Yes?" I called, moving to open the door. Instead of finding Sarasai, or Graf, or some other acquaintance, a small boy not more than twelve stood in my doorway, his hands shaking with nerves.

"The King sent me to tell you that your presence has been requested in his outer chambers." The page said, unable to resist peeking around me to have a snoop at my lodgings.

I thanked him, gave him the customary gold coin and closed the door as he disappeared down the stairs, already furious at Jasson. He sent a _page_ to tell me that? Well, apparently I wasn't worth him coming in person, was I?

He could have sent a message some other way, instead of making that poor boy run all the way down here. I'd never really understood what life with servants and people at your beck and call must be like, but I was certain I'd _never_ abuse them like that. Honestly, what was the point in sending the page to find me? I'd most likely have gotten antsy enough soon that I'd have been up at the palace anyway.

Gathering my cloak, I stormed out into the street, hardly noticing the crowd part for me as I did, whereas once I'd have been fighting against the crowds.

The palace was silent, the only sound the scurrying of shoes as people rushed to and from places. None of them acknowledged me, not that I was surprised. I wasn't a noble, I had no _real_ right to be there. I found Jasson's chambers without issue; they were rather large, making the task quite easy. The outer chambers, I knew, were made up of meeting rooms for the King and his advisors. The inner chambers were accessed only by the King and his trusted servants.

The guard placed outside announced me, and I entered into the room, slightly surprised to find that Jasson was not alone; two men, presumably advisors, were also with him, both pouring over a map of some kind. The presence of strangers hindered my plan of laying into Jasson about the page delivering message for him, unfortunately. I settled for a calm but menacing glare, my eyes set on him as he turned to face me slowly.

"You are dismissed." He said, waving his hands to the advisors, who rolled up the map and shuffled out the door, pushing past me. The door clicked shut behind them, and I got my chance.

"So I see you can't be bothered delivering your own message now?" I asked coldly, crossing my arms over my chest.

I was once again dressed in finer clothes than I usually wore; my hair pinned up on my head in a pale imitation of an elegant hairdo. There was no longer any point of dressing as a cove, and the finer clothes, many 'found' by Sarasai, made me feel slightly more accepted in the palace.

"What?" Jasson replied, rather ineloquently.

"The page you sent to fetch me! _What_ was the point of that, to show off your new found status? Are you too _busy_ to send a message by hand? Or, Mithros forbid, walk the distance to the Lower City?" I fumed, a small part of me, the logical part that sounded a lot like Alanna dully remarking that I was being unreasonable.

I was irritated, annoyed and confused. Not to mention impatient. The rest of me, the fiery part that I strongly associated with magic was quite happy to continue yelling at the King. Which is exactly what it did.

"Alenne…" Jasson reached out to place his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged him off.

"No, Jasson! You…you can't just _send_ for me like that. I'm not one of your advisors who come at your call." I said, my tone icy.

There, that was the _real_ reason I was angry. I hadn't intended on admitting it quite like that, yet I did. I saw Jasson's reaction, the tightening of his eyes as he took in my words.

"No, you're not." He said, his face turned away from me so I couldn't read his expression.

"I did not just _send_ for you. You already knew your presence would be requested today, I simply requested it. I apologise for having to take care of urgent matters, preventing me from _escorting _you myself!" He said scathingly, the sarcastic venom in his voice clear.

"Oh, now that you're King, you have more important things to do, is that it? None of us matter anymore? You've got your wish, so you'll leave the Court of the Rogue, the mages, _me_, sitting in the dust. Is that it?" I replied with just as much anger, my voice rising with my temper.

"No!" This time he grabbed my shoulders firmly, forcing me to face him, my fists balled at my sides.

"Never." He said, his tone crackling with energy. Despite the emotion I could see in his eyes, I was still furious with him and the whole situation.

Rather than blindly following my temper and doing something stupid, I followed the shred of logic that existed in my mind.

"I have an idea. I think you need to see that you _aren't _better than everyone. Don't deny it, you have a complex, Jasson. Anyone brought up like you've been would have. So, I challenge you to a duel. Magic allowed."

I would've thrown down a gauntlet, but I wasn't wearing one. Part of me was thrilled with the idea; _this_ was doing something. Whether or not it was productive was another story. Besides, Jasson did need to learn a thing or to, and I was sure I could show him up. Just as I was sure _he_ thought he would win, which is why I wasn't surprised when he accepted. We found ourselves at the training yard within minutes, Jasson stripped down to his shirt and breeches, whilst I had slipped into a borrowed pair of breeches for ease.

An audience formed around us before we'd even started, made up of servants, pages, squires, a few of Jasson's knights and advisors. I saw Sarasai and Graf in the shadows, how they'd appeared at that exact moment was beyond me.

"King Jasson of Conte, I challenge you to a duel for recreational purposes. As per the terms of recreational duels, the duel will end when blood is first drawn, of when a participant withdraws." My voice echoed around the yard, and the spectators fell silent.

We both stood still, watching each other. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, whilst I stayed still. The necklace was hanging around my neck; I could feel a slight heat from it, pulsing against my skin. I knew, somehow, that the stone was on him, too. The two objects always reacted when they were near each other.

He was armed with a knife, as was I. We'd forgone swords and armour, it would give him an unfair advantage, in my opinion. The standard padding in place, but it wouldn't stop the blow of a knife. Nor would it stop magic. I was curious to see exactly what I, and he, could do with magic in this situation. It could prove helpful for the future, I suppose.

He started pacing, and I mirrored his actions. We travelled a complete circle, my eyes never leaving his.

I never was one for waiting. Without reacting at all, I summoned a bolt of magic in my hand, throwing it his way before he had time to react. The crowd, however, did. The excited screams echoed around in my mind, but I focused on him.

He'd deflected it. I had no idea how, I hadn't seen a shield go up. 

I didn't have time to ponder that, because he was finally advancing, his knife in his hand. I drew my own, darting to the left and feinting. He caught me on it, swiftly kicking my legs out from beneath me. I rolled out of the way, staying crouched down. I darted at him, quite literally knocking him off his feet and into the dust. His knife was still drawn, but I dodged it carefully, though it made a little nick in my padding.

From then on, the pace picked up. It wasn't long before sweat was coating my spine, my short hair hanging into my eyes. Jasson looked weary, but not overly so. He'd yet to use magic, so I started baiting him. I threw spell after spell at him, but he deflected them, choosing not to counter-attack.

Finally fed up with the stalemate, I cast a complex spell, creating a copy of my knife, an exact replica in all ways except it could do no harm, it was not corporeal. I saw Jasson glance between my hands, now both with knives, obviously figuring out my trick, but not sure which was the real knife.

Ah, the beauty of magic.

As I advanced, I could see his mind working, trying to figure out a solution. Plain fighting skills wouldn't work when I had magically-induced weaponry, he knew that. In the time it took for me to make a single pace, he'd cast a spell of his own. Blue fire enveloped both of my wrists, and the force of the spell knocked my down to the ground. I winced, struggling to free myself from the fiery bonds, but Jasson had stepped close enough by then that it was hopeless. He simply looked down at me for a moment, and I closed my eyes.

He'd won.

I could feel the frustration building inside of me. I _hated_ losing. I had a lot to prove, being a mage, a woman, a newcomer. I had a lot to prove to _him_, to myself. Jasson might've irritated me before, I might've wanted to teach him a lesson, make him learn humility. There was more to it, however. I wanted to be a victor.

Before I'd fully realised what had happened, the bonds around my arms were gone, crushed by the onslaught of purple fire coming from my palms. I lunged at Jasson purely out of instinct, my knife still in my palm, the illusion knife long faded.

I knocked him to the ground, a reversal of our previous positions. I didn't hesitate like he had, I pressed my knife to his throat, my knees on either side of his body, my hands on his chest. I was almost nose to nose with him, and I grinned mischievously.

"Ready to give up?" I said, watching carefully for his reaction. He nodded, and I released him. He didn't deny my victory; he announced it to the crowd.

I was rather surprised at that; perhaps he had a thoughtful bone in his body after all?

"I believe you succeeded in teaching me a lesson." He said with a wry grin that I couldn't help but return. As our audience departed, we chatted away, both silently forgiving the other. He knew me well enough to know I liked to pick fights, and I knew him enough to realise he _had_ actually learnt something that morning.

I placed my knife back in its sheath, stretching out my shoulder muscles. Jasson approached me from behind, his hands once again on my shoulders.

This time, however, they massaged my muscles. I instinctively tensed up at the contact. We were alone, with the crowd dispersed, but it still felt foreign and forbidden.

"Alenne…"

His tone was low, intriguing. I could hear that he wanted to ask me something…what, I couldn't fathom. I turned to face him, his hands remaining on my shoulders. It was only then that I realised how close we were. Looking into his eyes, the rush of words left my mouth before my mind could stop them.

"I'm sorry for running the other day. I-I…" My mind kicked in about there, and I stopped talking, my mouth hanging open like the cracknob I was.

Jasson, however, smiled, leaning forward slowly. He kissed me, again. My eyes closed on their own accord, and I could feel a smile at my lips. It was odd, whatever there was between us. There were a lot of unresolved issues, but, for some reason, I couldn't seem to stay away from him. I pulled back, my eyes trained steadily on the ground. I was determined not to run this time, but I didn't quite know what to say, either.

A small cough from the other side of the yard railing did that for me, however. We both turned towards the noise, Jasson's hands quickly dropping from my shoulders when he saw we had company.

He didn't realise just _who_ our company was, however. I certainly did. And the looks on their faces weren't promising.

**A/N: This is far from the best thing I've ever written. It's hasty, so point out any dodgy bits :) And credit to Tamora for the knife duplication spell that Alenne used, I based it on what Roger did with the sword when duelling Alanna, I am apparently incapable of coming up with any original ideas tonight! **

**Never fear, another (and hopefully better) chapter will be coming soon. With an answer to that cliffy. **


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